Acupuncture 3 Year Licentiate Course

Our in-depth three year course will teach you everything you need to know to become a confident and successful Acupuncture practitioner. The total numbers of hours studied are 3,600, making this degree-level training. You may find that for personal reasons you need to take a study break; this is completely acceptable as long as you complete all of your modules within five years. Unlike training at a university, all of your lectures will be delivered by successful practitioners who are eager to pass their knowledge and experience on to you. Our academic team have trained literally hundreds of acupuncturists and they work hard to make sure that what you learn is up-to-date and relevant to the work of an acupuncturist. Although the BAAB is the accrediting body, your Licentiate Diploma in Acupuncture will be awarded by The City College of Acupuncture. The final level of the award is known academically as Level 6, the same Level as a BSc (Hons).

Our entry requirements are: • Appropriate life experience or 120 points at ‘A’ level. • No previous practitioner experience or medical qualifications are required. Many people studying acupuncture are doing so as a career change and may not have previous academic qualifications. This need not be a barrier to becoming a successful practitioner! Our in-depth interview techniques will be able to establish if you are suitable to enrol on our course.

The CCA programme was developed in alignment with the core values set out by acupuncture’s educational and professional bodies. In particular, it fosters critical thinking by encouraging students to question their own beliefs, as well as the received wisdom of those around them. We provide a climate where competent, safe and ethical, open-minded practitioners develop, who will be ready to engage with the continuous professional development required of professionals healthcare providers, as well as participate in the further evolution of Chinese Medicine and wider public debate surrounding complementary healthcare.

The City College of Acupuncture programme is delivered in a way that integrates interactive teaching and practical hands-on experience with the use of modern technology. With a high proportion of clinical experience right from day one you will quickly become immersed in the philosophy behind Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Practical subjects such as acupuncture are best taught in an interactive way.

You must have access to a computer / laptop with WIFI to access online resources at home.

Your first two years will be spent studying what we call our TCM Core Modules. We teach practical skills such as taking the tongue and pulse, palpating, needling, cupping, gua sha, etc. across all of these Core Modules. You will already be highly skilled in these therapies when treating real patients in our student clinic in your final year.

The clinical module in the third year is where all of the different strands of the course come together. It is always inspiring to see our students treating patients under the watchful eyes of our clinical supervision team. Our third-year students complete a large number of treatments across a wide range of conditions, giving them the experience needed to become a confident and capable acupuncturist.