Educational Requirements
Traditional Track: Curriculum Hours and Credits

At time of enrollment, students must have completed more than two years (76 semester credits, or 114 quarter credits) of higher education. All credits must be at post-secondary level, obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Credits must include the following course work, which counts as part of ITEA’s program:

Course	Semester Credits
Biology	4
Chemistry	4
Anatomy & Physiology	8
Subtotal	16

The following hours are contained within the ITEA Program:

Course	Semester Credits
Core Curriculum Labs	90.7
Clinical Supervision	17
Practice Management	5
Senior Project	1
Subtotal	113.7

Additional post-secondary course work to be completed before graduation (to be taken at an accredited college or university) and which count as part of ITEA’s program:

Course	Semester Credits
Nutrition/Psychology/Biomed	8
Subtotal	8
PROGRAM TOTAL	137.7

Practitioner Track

This track is comprised of Classical Five-Element education contained in the above program information. It assumes proficiency in other courses contained within the ITEA curriculum, such as biomedical courses, Oriental bodywork, AOM history and philosophy, practice management and clinical supervision. If proficiency in these other courses have not been attained, the applicant must have a plan for fulfilling these requirements in order to graduate. The plan may include attending these classes at ITEA for an additional fee. All credits must be at post-secondary level, obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

International Students

Traditional Track students who have studied outside the United States must have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree that documents at least three full years of post-secondary education from a nationally or regionally accredited (or otherwise approved or recognized) institution. The Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture recognizes that most non-U.S. institutions of higher education often cannot provide academic transcripts in the standard U.S. credit hour format. In such cases applicants may be required to submit original course descriptions to verify the actual content and hours of prior training. Non-English language credentials equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree must be demonstrated prior to admission via a report from an approved credentialing translation and evaluation organization only. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for such a report to be sent to the Institute.

The Institute will issue a Department of Naturalization and Immigration form I-20 to a foreign applicant who is accepted into the program. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain an F1 student visa to study in the United States.

English Proficiency

Instruction is in English only. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English-language proficiency by a minimum score of 500 on the TOEFL test and a mean score on the TSE (Test of Spoken English). Applicants must arrange to take the appropriate tests and forward the results to the Institute. Applicants who have a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university, or who demonstrate proficiency in English during the admissions Interview are exempt from these tests.

Advanced Standing

For Traditional Track students, ITEA does not generally recognize advanced standing. Course work from other acupuncture schools usually does not have emphasis on Classical Five-Element Acupuncture (CF-EA) and point location. Even CF-EA schools have diverse instruction sequences because the discipline is an oral tradition. In exceptional cases, students may be admitted to the program with Advanced Standing within the first year of Intensives. Applicants must agree to test out of basic coursework and point location with an 85% passing grade to enter a class already in session. Advanced Standing applicants must fulfill all other admissions requirements listed above as for a regular application process. Tuition will be equal to that of the class the applicant joins.

For Practitioner Track students, individual applicants are evaluated for Advanced Standing in all prior coursework at the discretion of the Academic Dean, and admitted into the program with an established plan for fulfilling all requirements of the program.

Transfer Credits and Prior Learning Credits

ITEA will evaluate previous education and training, and when applicable, transfer or prior learning credit will be given. Advanced Standing students receive transfer credits for all coursework satisfactorily tested upon entry into the program. It is the responsibility of the student either to make up or obtain transfer credits for other necessary courses which are part of ITEA’s program. Students in the Traditional Track may enter ITEA’s program no later than the beginning of the second year. ITEA does not guarantee transferability of credits to another institution unless there is a written agreement with that institution.

Educational Requirements Traditional Track: Curriculum Hours and Credits