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Prerequisites for the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Degree (DAOM)
Minimum prerequisites for the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) degree are a master's degree in acupuncture or acupuncture and Oriental medicine or a certificate of acupuncture with 10 years of documented clinical experience. Applicants with AOM master's degrees must have graduated from an ACAOM-candidate or -accredited program. If doctoral applicants completed their previous AOM training through a certificate program, then at a minimum, they are required to obtain 90 quarter credits (60 semester credits) of undergraduate college work.
If applicants do not have a Chinese herb background, then they must complete the Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine (CCHM) as a prerequisite. The CCHM can be considered as a corequisite if the didactic portion of the certificate has been completed prior to matriculation in the doctoral program.
Applicants to the doctoral program who need to complete undergraduate hours must include the following didactic course work:
Basic Proficiency and Science Requirements
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| English literature or composition |
9 quarter credits |
| Intermediate algebra |
1 course* |
| General psychology |
3 quarter credits |
General chemistry
(health science major level) |
4 quarter credits** |
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*Intermediate algebra is not college level math and the credits taken will not be included in the 90 undergraduate credit total required.
** Survey level class that covers inorganic chemistry, includes a lab component and is intended for students in allied health majors.
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General Education Requirements |
| Natural sciences and mathematics |
12 quarter credits |
| Arts and humanities |
15 quarter credits |
| Social sciences |
15 quarter credits |
| Speech communication or public speaking |
3 quarter credits |
| Electives |
25 quarter credits* |
*The number of elective credits may vary depending upon the exact number of quarter credits earned in the other prerequisite categories. Total prerequisite credits must equal at least 90 quarter credits. |
Doctoral applicants must have a background in the basic sciences that is comparable to what Bastyr University requires at the master's level. Applicants may be required to take competency exams in the basic sciences in order to determine whether further remediation is required. This would potentially include exams in anatomy and physiology, surface anatomy, biochemistry, Western pathology, pharmacology, microbiology, and Western clinical sciences. If remediation is required, then a student must complete the prerequisites associated with that course, which may include part or all of the following:
| Mathematics (intermediate algebra) |
1 course |
General chemistry
(health science major level) |
1 course* |
| General biology (with lab) |
1 course |
| General psychology |
1 course |
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The minimum grade for these prerequisites is a C. The minimum GPA for any past college level education is a 2.25.
*Survey level class that covers inorganic chemistry, includes a lab component and is intended for students in allied health majors.
Doctoral applicants who are licensed acupuncturists but do not hold a master's degree in AOM will also be evaluated for competency with the master's level AOM curriculum. An applicant's bachelor's degree will be assessed for meeting all general education requirements. Challenge exams covering material in upper level AOM courses may be required in order to assess whether further remediation is required. It is entirely possible that some returning practitioners who do not have a master's degree in AOM will need to take a year or more to complete the master's level curriculum before advancing to the doctoral level curriculum. The goal of the admissions process is to provide a supportive and respectful atmosphere for returning practitioners while maintaining rigorous academic standards.
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Prerequisites 
