Didactic Training
Basic Sciences Curriculum within Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine
Basic science courses within acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine include Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology. These courses serve as a foundation for an understanding of the human body and provide students with the necessary skills and competency to pursue coursework in the master's degree programs. In addition, a portion of the Anatomy and Physiology course is taught in Bastyr’s cadaver anatomy lab, thus giving students the unique opportunity to study anatomy in greater depth.
The basic sciences faculty encourages and expects students to advance beyond the simple learning of scientific facts and to integrate systematically the information from basic science disciplines into a unified model of human organization and function. This educational scheme requires students to assume an active role in the learning process. It encourages them to adopt inquisitive behavior for a lifetime. Problem solving, clinical cases, and examples are an integral part of the basic science curriculum. This educational process is an expression of Bastyr University’s basic philosophy of a holistic approach to human behavior, health, and therapeutics. The basic sciences faculty encourages students to pursue an integrated approach to learning and understanding.
The department also offers General Chemistry in a summer intensive format, which is a prerequisite requirement for all programs offered by the department.
Counseling and Health Psychology Curriculum within Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine
The counseling and health psychology curriculum trains students in understanding and effecting change in the emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of human functioning.
Students in acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine master's programs are required to take the following:
- PS5205 Patient Communications - 3 credits
- PS6100 Motivational Interviewing - 2 credits
For additional counseling and health psychology courses available as electives to matriculated students, please see the Counseling and Health Psychology course listings in this catalog or the current quarterly schedule of classes.
Electives
The Department of Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine continually develops and adds to its special topics and elective course curriculum. These courses are included in the course description section of the catalog.
The MAc requires completion of 4 elective credits. For dual-degree (ND/MAc) students, please see the dual-degree program requirements described in the School of Naturopathic Medicine section.
Lab Courses
A portion of AEAM didactic education takes place in a lab environment for hands-on training. Students are asked to practice with each other taking the roles of practitioner and patient. Consent is implied unless the student notifies the instructor to the contrary. Students unable to act as a patient for a fellow classmate or to allow another student to practice techniques on them must notify the instructor and the Student Access and Accommodations Office (SAA) before week two of the quarter. If necessary and granted permission by the SAA, the department will hire a substitute to replace the student in the affected course activity.
Clinical Training
The core of the program’s clinical training takes place at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, the University’s teaching clinic. Bastyr Center is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinic providing quality training for students in all of the University’s programs. Within the acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine clinic, students receive clinical training in acupuncture and Chinese herbs in addition to other modalities within the scope of practice in Washington state. Students also can train at community medical sites that provide clinical experience working with diverse populations.
The clinical training program begins in the first year and is comprised of three observation rotations, one observation preceptorship, and 14 intern-level student clinician rotations. Clinical entrance requirements for observers include the following (details can be found in the Student Clinician Handbook): completion of AM4801 Clinic Entry, and completion of on-time submission of all clinic compliance requirements, including a Washington state patrol criminal background check and national background check. The criminal background check will be conducted prior to enrolling in clinical shifts. For more information, see Felony Conviction Disclosure and Background Checks in the Academic Policy and Procedure Manual, in the Student Policies and Procedures section of MyBU on Sharepoint. In addition, the AEAM department requires students to complete the requirements for external sites: mumps, measles, and rubella (two doses or titer), varicella (two doses or titer), influenza (annually), hepatitis B vaccination series or titer, and current Tdap. Covid-19 vaccination requirements are in flux and students will need to comply with the requirement of the offsite clinic at time of attendance. Students with medical reasons can be exempt from completing external rotations. These requirements and the documentation thereof will be explained and submitted during AM4801 Clinic Entry.
The three observation rotations (AM5801, AM5802, and AM6800) can be completed in any of the five quarters preceding clinician status. All observation hours, rotation hours, and interim observation hours must be completed prior to starting as a student clinician, in spring of the second year. The observation preceptorship course (AM6801) may be completed in either the observation or internship phase of training and can only be registered for after a student has completed AM5801 or AM6800. A minimum of one observation rotation must be completed prior to the observation preceptorship.
Additional eligibility requirements for student clinician status are as follows: successfully complete all curriculum requirements up through the end of the sixth quarter, good academic standing status; passage of the CCAHM Clean Needle Technique exam; complete and submit all documentations for clinical requirements; passing grades on the comprehensive preclinical exams (foundations and acupuncture); and passing grades on all components of AM6402 TCM Advanced Techniques Lab. Students are welcome to take additional clinic rotations for elective credit on a space-available basis. However, elective rotations cannot be used to make up missing hours in core rotations due to prior or future absences.
Interim clinic functions as an extension of the regular clinic rotation. Students are required to complete a total of 36 interim clinic hours. (Usually students staff the shifts they were assigned to in the quarter just ended.) Of the 36 required interim hours, 8 hours are done as an observer and 28 hours as an intern. Details can be found in the Student Clinician Handbook. Students register and pay for this 36-hour rotation, AM7850 AEAM Interim Clinic, in their last quarter of attendance, having completed the hours during interim periods during the course of their program.
External Clinic Rotations
The opportunity to be placed at one of the external clinics offered through Bastyr University is contingent on the student’s ability to provide documentation of a vaccination history. If this documentation is unavailable or out of date, students will need to update their vaccinations at either local health centers or through their personal physicians. The community clinic rotations are outstanding clinical experiences in working with underserved and special patient populations, including developing skills working with medical translators. Students who have a medical reason preventing completion of immunizations required by external sites will NOT be eligible for these rotations, and clinical training may be restricted to the Bastyr student clinic. Students are also required to submit to a national criminal background check. For more information, see Felony Conviction Disclosure and Background Checks in the Academic Policy and Procedure Manual.
AEAM External Clinical Training Sites:
- Providence Regional Medical Center Everett –---- cancer treatment and pain management
- Columbia City Neighborcare Health Clinic –---- multi-ethnic/low-income patients
Academic Status and Graduation Requirements
Students in the MAc must complete their degree requirements within five years. Students must complete at least two-thirds of their credits (110.5 quarter credits) in residence at Bastyr University including all clinical credits.
Students in the master’s program must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to be in good academic standing. For more information on academic status, see Academic Status – Probation, Suspension, and Dismissal in the Academic Policy and Procedure Manual.
In the MAc program, grades below a 72.9 percent indicate failure to meet the minimum level of competency for learning objectives or core competencies. A student who receives a failure in a required course, lab, clinic shift, or internship must repeat that course, lab, clinic, or internship. A first-year student who earns <3.0 GPA on foundational courses (TCM Fundamentals, TCM Diagnosis 1 and 2, TCM Pathology 1 and 2, and Meridians and Points 1, 2, and 3) will be required to retake one or more of the courses.
In order to receive a license to practice acupuncture in the majority of states, a student must earn either an MAc or MAcCHM degree, pass the NCCAOM board exams, and meet any additional state requirements. Several states require Chinese herbal medicine training for licensure (e.g., California, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas).
Electives/Special Topics: The MAc program requires a total of 4 electives/special topic credits. These credits may be any general electives/special topics as long as the prerequisites for each course are met.
Degree Requirements
The curriculum tables that follow list the tentative schedule of courses each quarter.
MAc Year I
Fall
| AM4100 | Survey of Organic and Biochemistry | 4 |
| AM4104 | Medical Chinese | 1 |
| AM4108 | History of Medicine | 2 |
| AM4401 | Qi Gong 1 | 1 |
| AM4801 | AOM Clinic Entry | 2 |
| AM5100 | Meridian and Points 1 Lecture/Lab | 3 |
| AM5101 | TCM Fundamentals | 4 |
| AM5109 | Case Discussions 1 | 1 |
| BC4102 | Living Anatomy for AEAM | 4 |
| BC4107 | Medical Terminology | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 23 |
Winter
| AM4301 | TCM Bodywork: Tui Na | 1 |
| AM5104 | Meridians and Points 2 Lecture/Lab | 3 |
| AM5201 | TCM Diagnosis 1 | 3 |
| AM5203 | TCM Pathology 1 | 3 |
| AM5401 | TCM Techniques 1 | 2 |
| BC4104 | Microbiology | 3 |
| BC4123 | Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lecture/Lab (AEAM) | 5 |
| CH5100 | Introduction to Chinese Herbs 1 | 1.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21.5 |
Spring
| AM5106 | Meridians and Points 3 Lecture/Lab | 3 |
| AM5202 | TCM Diagnosis 2 | 3 |
| AM5204 | TCM Pathology 2 | 3 |
| AM5403 | TCM Techniques 2 | 2 |
| AM5801 | Clinical Observation 1 | 2 |
| BC4105 | Introduction to Western Pathology for AEAM | 3 |
| BC4124 | Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lecture/Lab (AEAM) | 4 |
| CH5101 | Introduction to Chinese Herbs 2 | 1.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21.5 |
Summer
| AM5300 | Survey of Western Clinical Sciences 1 Lecture/Lab | 3 |
| AM5308 | Clinical Theater - Acupuncture Lab | 1 |
| AM5802 | Clinical Observation 2 | 2 |
| PS5205 | Patient Communications | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
MAc Year II
Fall
| AM6102 | Pharmacology Overview for AOM | 4 |
| AM6109 | Case Discussions 2 | 1 |
| AM6301 | Survey of Western Clinical Sciences 2 Lecture/Lab | 3 |
| AM6400 | TCM Techniques 3 | 2 |
| AM6411 | Acupuncture Point Selection Strategies | 2 |
| AM6412 | Acupuncture Therapeutics 1 | 2 |
| AM6800 | Clinical Observation Theater | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
*AM6800 may be taken in WI of year one or FA of year two.
Winter
| AM6201 | Clinical Case Preparation Lab | 1 |
| AM6302 | Survey of Western Clinical Sciences 3 | 3 |
| AM6307 | Auricular and Scalp Therapy | 2 |
| AM6402 | TCM Advanced Techniques Lab | 1 |
| AM6413 | Acupuncture Therapeutics 2 | 2 |
| AM6414 | Acupuncture Therapeutics 3 | 2 |
| AM6801 | Clinical Observation Preceptorship | 2 |
| PS6100 | Motivational Interviewing | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring
| AM6408 | TCM Whole Foods Nutrition | 1 |
| AM6415 | Acupuncture Therapeutics 4 | 2 |
| AM6416 | Acupuncture Therapeutics 5 | 2 |
| AM6802 | AOM Clinic 1 | 2 |
| AM6803 | AOM Clinic 2 | 2 |
| AM6804 | AOM Clinic 3 | 2 |
| TR6104 | Nutrition and Dietary Systems | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Summer
MAc Year III
Fall
| AM7101 | Business Fundamentals 1 - Finance and Accounting | 1 |
| AM7109 | Case Discussions 3 | 1 |
| AM7804 | AOM Clinic 7 | 2 |
| AM7805 | AOM Clinic 8 | 2 |
| AM7806 | AOM Clinic 9 | 2 |
| BC5140 | Research Methods in AEAM | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 11 |
Winter
| AM7104 | Business Fundamentals 2 - Marketing and Advertising | 1 |
| AM7110 | Overview of Pain Management Therapies | 2 |
| AM7125 | TCM Medical Classics | 2 |
| AM7320 | Clinical Theater Lab | 1 |
| AM7808 | AOM Clinic 10 | 2 |
| AM7840 | AOM Clinic 11 | 2 |
| AM7841 | AOM Clinic 12 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Spring
| AM7106 | Business Fundamentals 3 - Practice Management and Leadership | 1 |
| AM7126 | Jurisprudence and Ethics | 1 |
| AM7301 | Trigger/Motor Point Therapy Lecture/Lab | 1 |
| AM7400 | Acupuncture Review | 2 |
| AM7842 | AOM Clinic 13 | 2 |
| AM7843 | AOM Clinic 14 | 2 |
| AM7850 | Interim Clinic | 1.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10.5 |
Total Requirements
| |
Total Credits |
Total Clock Hours |
| Total Core Course Credits |
124.0 |
1512.5 |
| Total Elective Credits |
4.0 |
44.0 |
| Total Clinic Credits |
37.5 |
828.0 |
| Total Requirements |
165.5 |
2384.5 |
Curriculum and course changes in the 2024-2025 Bastyr University Catalog are applicable to students entering during the 2024-2025 academic year. Please refer to the appropriate catalog if interested in curriculum and courses required for any other entering year.