By addressing how energy flows through the body, you can treat patients holistically. You can help ease the side effects from chemotherapy. Work to manage a patient’s chronic and debilitating migraines. Help overcome fatigue and insomnia after surgery. Support a patient’s recovery from addiction. Or even help a couple achieve pregnancy in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization. Often in a single day of work.
Working with world-class educators and directly with patients through immersive clinical experiences, you’ll learn how to stimulate energy through acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. You’ll work with other members of the health care team to deliver a truly integrative treatment plan. And you’ll graduate prepared to care for the whole person – physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual – as an important part of their recovery and health.
Interested in a future in acupuncture? Immerse yourself in our "Introduction to Chinese Medicine" course and get a glimpse of your exciting future.
Legacy of Excellence
Meredith St. John, Dean of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine shares insight into the oldest acupuncture school in the U.S.
A leader in the integrative health medicine field, NESA has been training the next generation of healthcare providers for 40 years. Ours is now the largest acupuncture school operating within a regionally accredited health sciences university.
By joining MCPHS, NESA connects Eastern medicine with Western health sciences to create the next generation of healthcare providers who embody integrative medicine.
Featuring the latest advancements, our brand new facility on the Worcester campus gives students the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe and effective acupuncture.
As a vital part of the acupuncture program, all students complete extensive internship components in biomedical partner facilities located in the greater Boston and Worcester areas.
Both MCPHS degrees include a core curriculum in Chinese Acupuncture Studies with an optional Japanese Acupuncture Styles track for additional expertise. Students in the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program also study Chinese Herbal Medicine as part of their required curriculum.
Our school is a leader in Japanese acupuncture education in the U.S., teaching several different acupuncture styles brought from Japan.
Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for national board certification examinations provided by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and to apply for state licensure.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for health diagnosing and treating practitioners, including acupuncturists, is expected to grow at a faster rate than many other occupations, with a potential 12% increase in jobs needed by 2024. The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine reports there are approximately 30,000 Acupuncture and Oriental licensees in the U.S.
With innovative training and immersive clinical opportunities, our graduates are extremely well prepared to enter and advance in the field of acupuncture and oriental medicine. Clinical education experiences are varied so that students are prepared for professional practice in an ever-changing healthcare environment.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for health diagnosing and treating practitioners, including acupuncturists, was $74,710 in May 2015. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) estimates that the median annual income among Acupuncture and Oriental medicine licensees is $52,000, with some incomes exceeding $100,000.
Our mission is to be the premier source for medical education rooted in the traditions of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for the next generation of healthcare providers.
While fulfilling our educational mission within our community of scholarship, research, and public service we advocate for patients and for our profession, and commit to a lifelong process of learning to provide excellence in clinical care that promotes wellness and relieves pain and suffering.
We commit to the following beliefs:
NESA’s carefully designed programs graduate practitioners who:
The New England School of Acupuncture is institutionally and programmatically accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), which is the recognized accrediting agency for freestanding institutions and colleges of acupuncture or Oriental medicine that offer such programs. ACAOM is located at 8941 Aztec Drive, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347; phone 952/212-2434; fax 952/657-7068.
In 2015, NESA was re-accredited through 2021.
NESA is an approved program with the California Acupuncture Board.
NESA's MAOM is approved by the state of California's Acupuncture Board (CAB), so that graduates are eligible to sit for Licensure Exams in that state.
In March 2016, New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) became part of MCPHS University. NESA has been synonymous with excellence in acupuncture education since 1974, making NESA the oldest acupuncture program in the US. By joining MCPHS, NESA connects Eastern medicine with Western health sciences to create the next generation of healthcare providers who embody integrative medicine. Students who matriculated prior to the fall 2016 semester will complete their program at the Newton Campus.
The facility in Newton has a Teaching Center and Chinese Herbal Medicine Center, servicing area acupuncture patients with low cost treatments.
Download the Newton campus curriculum here.
Discover how our six-week, one credit "Introduction to Chinese Medicine" course can help you identify your future career path.
Discover how eastern and western medicine approaches come together at MCPHS.
