What are the educational requirements for an International applicant?

Formal Education: International Applicants 

Applicants applying under the international route must have a degree/diploma in Oriental Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine or Acupuncture from an academic institution that meets the following requirements. 

Government Oversight or Private Accreditation: 

• The program is approved by a foreign government’s Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, or equivalent agency. 
• The school is approved by an international private accreditation agency with standards that are comparable to those of ACAHM and are recognized for that purpose by the respective government entity. 
• The school is approved by an acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine (AHM) professional society, association or organization that sets AHM education standards that are comparable to those of ACAHM, are recognized for that purpose, and has an enforcement agency that ensures standards are met and maintained. 

Graduate Transcript: 

Documentation from a third-party review agency authenticating the distribution of academic hours/credits per program that meet ACAHM standards or their substantial equivalency. 

Third-Party Educational Review 

NCCAOM requires international applicants to have their educational program and transcript reviewed by a third-party agency to confirm document authenticity. Please note that the agency does not ‘approve’ the educational program but verifies the authenticity of documents and provides a course-by-course evaluation of the graduate transcript. The foreign education review process typically takes 6 months to complete. International applicants are advised to complete the third-party agency review before applying to NCCAOM. 

Third-Party Review Agency Accepted by NCCAOM 

NCCAOM requires a course-by-course credential evaluation from International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). Please login and create your NCCAOM online account, then click on the International Verification tab to be redirected to the ICD website. The application process requires that NCCAOM receive an original foreign language and an English translation of the graduate transcript, and the credential evaluation report directly from ICD. Applicants are advised to apply to sit for National Board Exams after receiving verification that the evaluation has been delivered to NCCAOM. 

Important Notice: World Education Services (WES) transcript evaluations will no longer be accepted after December 31, 2017. 

NCCAOM Examinations administered at international locations are only offered by “official” level 1 Pearson VUE Testing Centers. For detailed information, see the Pearson VUE website at www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom/.