Master of Oriental Medicine Program

 (270 Quarter Units/3,300 hours)

The Master of Oriental Medicine degree program is designed to provide highly-motivated students with an opportunity to pursue a career in this rapidly growing field.  While the program stresses the traditional Chinese approach to Oriental medicine, students are exposed to the influence that Korea, Japan, and India have contributed to the discipline.

The Master of Oriental Medicine Program subscribes to an educational philosophy that is a marriage of Oriental and Occidental philosophies of teaching and learning where each student is viewed as being gifted. With humanistic understanding each student’s gifts will find their full expression and the use of intellect to discover what we may become is the essence of humanistic study.  To release one’s gifts is to adopt a holistic view, acknowledging the individual’s capacity for self-actualization, choice, growth and spirituality.  The implementation of such a teaching-learning model demands that individuals be considered in their many inseparable dimensions: body, mind and spirit and in their social, cultural and environmental contexts.

As a mode of education, this approach combines cognitive and methodological skills with affective and intuitive skills.  It recognizes maturity and effectiveness are manifestations of perspective, experience and knowledge.

Focusing on the cultivation of professional expertise and personal development, the fundamental purpose of the Master of Oriental Medicine program is to promote excellence in Oriental Medicine.  The expectations we have for students in the Master of Oriental Medicine program are high and students must be self-disciplined, willing to dedicate themselves to rigorous academic study, and resolve to attain complete development spiritually, as well as, intellectually.

Graduates of the Master of Oriental Medicine program will have the intellectual skills to understand allopathic, biomedical, evidence-based, and complimentary care practices and will be able to fulfill leadership roles in establishing new systems to disseminate research findings to health-care practitioners and consumers of health and healing.

Admission Requirements for Master of Oriental Medicine Program

•  Official transcript showing the completion of at least 90 quarter units (60 semester units) of undergraduate level study with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
•  Two letters of recommendation.

Graduation Requirements for Master of Oriental Medicine Program

•  Successfully complete a minimum of 270 quarter units of the following coursework with a cumulative Grade Point average of 2.0.
•  Successfully pass the MOM comprehensive examination.

Time Limit

The MOM program must be completed within 6 years from the time the student commenced the first course, as a regular student, which applies to the degree requirements.  This time limit, at the option of the university, may be extended due to special extenuating circumstances.

Professional Liability and Malpractice Insurance

All students enrolled in the MOM program must maintain professional liability and malpractice insurance throughout the time they are officially enrolled in the program’s internship courses.

Total Curriculum of Master of Oriental Medicine Program (270 units/3,300 hours) 

Western Sciences and Medicine

 Oriental Medicine of Acupuncture and Herbs

Clinical Practice:

*All students are required to successfully pass a pre-internship test prior to entering a clinical phase.

MOM Comprehensive Examination

The final step in qualifying for the MOM is to pass the MOM Comprehensive Examination. The MOM Comprehensive Examination is administered by a special examination committee appointed by the Dean of the School of Oriental Medicine.  The exam is a written theory based exam approximately Five (5) hours in length and is evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Students are given three opportunities to pass the exam. Failure to pass the exam on the third attempt automatically disqualifies the student from further attempts until he/she has successfully completed additional prescribed coursework.

Elective Courses

Master of Oriental Medicine Degree students may optionally select courses from the following elective courses:

Doctor of Oriental Medicine

in Research Advancement Program

(120 Quarter Units/1,200 hours)

The Doctor of Oriental Medical in Research Advancement program is a professional graduate program that builds on the specialized knowledge and expertise acquired at the master’s level in Oriental medicine. The program augments the master’s level education by providing additional course work that meets California standard of primary care education as described in California acupuncture code AB 1943, and puts OM education on parity with all other primary care professions.

The study of clinical OM requires critical thinking, broad knowledge on current medical practice, dedication to patient care and the ability to bring OM into the medical main stream.  Candidates are expected to pursue a career that is dedicated to improving healthcare by integrating OM into the American healthcare lexicon.

The program emphasizes the scientific basis of Oriental Medicine, clinical practice, research methodologies, and leadership skills and is designed to bring recognition of OM as a medical system that will be a significant part of the solution for today’s healthcare problems.

Admission Requirement for Doctor of Oriental Medicine in Research Advancement Program

•  Master of Oriental Medicine Degree with an official transcript showing the completion of  a minimum of 3,000 hours of oriental medicine study and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
•  Two letters of recommendation.

Graduation Requirements for Doctor of Oriental Medicine in Research Advancement Program

•  Successfully complete a minimum of 120 quarter units of the following coursework with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
•  Successfully complete the Dissertation Project.

Time Limit

The DOMRA program must be completed within 4 years from the time the student commenced the first course, as a regular student, which applies to the degree requirements.  This time limit, at the option of the university, may be extended due to special extenuating circumstances.

Professional Liability and Malpractice Insurance

All students enrolled in the DOMRA program must maintain professional liability and malpractice insurance throughout the time they are officially enrolled in the program’s internship courses.

Awarding the Degree

When it is certified that the candidate has completed all required work and met all financial obligations for the Doctor of Oriental Medicine in Research Advancement degree course, the degree will be recommended by vote of the Doctoral Committee.  The degree is granted by Life University’s Board of Trustees and is conferred at the university’s commencement.

Total Curriculum of Doctor of Oriental Medicine in Research Advancement Program

(120 units/1,200 hours)

Dissertation Project

Students are required to complete a Dissertation Project.  Students are appointed a Doctoral Committee by the Dean of the school and students must submit a proposal of the Dissertation Project to the committee for approval. Once the Dissertation Project has been approved, the student must then write a dissertation, under the supervision of the Doctoral Committee, demonstrating an ability to do significant research and scholarly analysis and to present findings and conclusions with precision and clarity. An abstract of 350 words which clearly sets forth the content and conclusion of the dissertation is to be filed and signed by the Doctoral Committee Chair. Once approved by the Doctoral Committee, two copies of the dissertation, typographically perfect and bearing the signatures of the committee, must be filed with the School Dean before the given deadline. When the final copies are filed with the School Dean, the student is asked to sign a microfilming and copyright agreement.  The dissertation, including the abstract, bibliography and appendix, is not to exceed 500 pages.

Elective Courses

Doctor of Oriental Medicine in Research Advancement Degree students may optionally select courses from the following elective courses: