Studying at NESA
New England School of AcupunctureLearning acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine requires both study and hands-on practice, and that shapes how every NESA program is taught. Explore how courses are delivered, how much of each program is online, and what a typical week looks like for NESA students.
Program Delivery
Every NESA program combines in-person and online study. Some courses are hybrid, combining online instruction and required in-person sessions. All labs, practicums, and clinical experiences take place in person. NESA is approved by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) to deliver part of its programs through distance education, and MCPHS participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA).
On Campus
Hands-on courses are taught in-person, including point location, acupuncture techniques, East Asian medical bodywork, qi gong, anatomy, and integrative pain management. Clinical assistantships and internships take place in-person at the NESA Acupuncture Treatment Centers or at affiliated clinical sites.
Students can choose to study on the Boston or Worcester campus:
Boston
The Boston programs are built for working professionals and career changers who need flexibility. Classes meet in the evenings and on the weekends. The campus is located in the heart of the Longwood Medical Area and features a new Acupuncture Treatment Center.
Worcester
The Worcester campus offers a more immersive experience with all classes, including online and in person, meeting on weekdays during the day. The Acupuncture Treatment Center on this campus is open to the public and serves the Worcester community. It also has a state-of-the-art Chinese herbal dispensary.
Online
Some lecture courses are taught online, including Chinese medicine theory, the biomedical sciences, and professional practice. Most online courses meet synchronously during live sessions with faculty and classmates. Some courses are asynchronous, meaning students work at their own pace.
The ACAHM measures distance education as the share of a program’s total clock hours taught in online or hybrid courses, and a hybrid course counts in full. For Fall 2026, the shares are:
| Program | Share Taught Online or Hybrid |
| Master of Acupuncture | 40% |
| Doctor of Acupuncture | 46% |
| Master of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine | 47% |
| Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine | 50% |
| Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Chinese Herbal Medicine | 70% |
| Doctor of Acupuncture Completion | 100% |
The Doctor of Acupuncture Completion is the only NESA program that is offered entirely online. Every other program includes regular time on campus.
Hybrid
Most of the Chinese herbal medicine courses are hybrid. They combine online instruction with required in-person sessions that are scheduled in advance.
Student Schedules
NESA programs require a full-time commitment. Classes run year-round, including in the fall, spring, and summer semesters.
Coursework continues while clinical training grows. Students learn to treat disease from both Chinese medicine and biomedical perspectives, exploring integrative pain management. Herbal students begin materia medica. Supervised internships start in the spring semester, and clinic shifts may fall outside regular class times. Some affiliated clinical sites require health screenings or background checks.
Clinical training becomes the center of the week. Students treat patients every semester. The remaining courses—many of which are offered online—cover classical texts, case management, practice management, and board exam review. Herbal students advance to formulas and dispensary work. Doctoral students take advanced courses in integrative pain management and case management.
Technology and Online Access
Students will need a laptop, a webcam, a microphone, and a reliable internet connection from the first week of classes. The University’s testing tools require a laptop, so tablets or Chromebooks are not sufficient on their own for coursework. All online coursework requires an MCPHS login with two-step verification, which is how the University confirms that a student is doing the work and earning the credit. Explore the MCPHS Technology Requirements for specifics.
If students who study online outside Massachusetts have a complaint that the University's procedures don't resolve, the next steps—including through SARA—are set out in the University Catalog.