Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Degree Programs

School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine bridging the medicines of East and West

Programs of study
Advantages of Bastyr's AOM degree programs
Career opportunities

Bastyr University’s comprehensive approach to the study of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) prepares students to become 21st century professionals, ready to work in collaboration with practitioners of conventional Western medicine. Fortified with rigorous didactic and clinical training, our students graduate as highly qualified practitioners who are also educated on Western health care disciplines and able to inform other health care providers on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is one of the fastest growing health care professions in the United States, with graduates of AOM schools well positioned to meet an increasing demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services. In fact, a 2008 study by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) found 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children in the U.S. use some form of CAM.

With AOM practitioners licensed to practice in 44 states and the District of Columbia, traditional Chinese medicine offers an excellent career option. With Bastyr University's accredited AOM programs designed and taught by some of the premier Chinese medicine educators in the world, our students can expect to graduate with both a well-respected degree and the skills and confidence to begin practicing.

Programs of study through the School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Advantages of Bastyr's School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree programs

Highly qualified, long-term faculty representing experienced Asian- and Western-trained acupuncturists.
Bastyr offers the only regionally and professionally accredited Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program of its kind in the United States. Because of our regional accreditation status, students enrolled in the DAOM program are eligible for federal financial aid and upon graduation receive a fully accredited university doctoral degree.
Ability to enrich studies, and broaden future scope of practice, by taking elective classes within the broad Bastyr curriculum, including nutrition, herbal sciences, exercise science, naturopathic medicine and health psychology.
Opportunity to complete acupuncture internships in China at one of our two sister universities, Shanghai University of TCM or Chengdu University of TCM.
A University garden featuring more than 350 species of Western and Chinese herbs. The garden allows students to learn to grow herbs year-round, earn work-study money, harvest herbs for classroom study and make herbal products.
An on-campus herb lab allows students to hone their skills in herbal-medicine making.
Extensive training at the University’s teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, as well as at several Seattle-area public clinics.
Students graduate with experience in treating patients with chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia, allergies, drug addiction and more.
Course offerings include the traditional Chinese medicine methods of diagnosis, therapeutics and techniques, as well as a variety of electives in acupuncture detoxification, electroacupuncture, tui na, tai chi, five element acupuncture and chemical dependency treatment.
Optional training available through summer massage intensives co-sponsored by Bastyr University and the Bellevue Massage School.
Small class sizes coupled with the University's numerous resources, including: financial aid, student housing, gourmet cafeteria, a health sciences library and a 51-acre Seattle-area campus.

Career opportunities

The acupuncture field has expanded dramatically over the last 10 years. Bastyr graduates now have the choice of establishing independent practices or working in collaborative clinics where insurance is often accepted and acupuncturists work side by side with other health care practitioners. Nationwide, a number of hospitals now offer acupuncture, while more government health care programs are including acupuncture coverage. AOM is increasingly recognized as both safe and cost effective in treating a full range of acute and chronic ailments.

These degrees lead to such careers as:

Licensed acupuncturist (LAc) in private practice, with an integrative clinic or at a hospital
Researcher
Expert author/writer on TCM topics
Chinese herbalist
Faculty at acupuncture school or university of natural health arts and sciences