English Language Requirement
CAC is an English language College. All submissions and communications, written or verbal, from students to the faculty or the administration of the University should be in the English language and of scholarly standard, unless approved beforehand to the contrary. This policy applies to course papers, project reports and other course submissions, student portfolios, comprehensive examinations, final projects, and oral reviews. Official submissions or communications that do not conform to this policy may be rejected or returned to the student for proper translation.
Rolling Registration
California Acupuncture College has a system of rolling registration. Students may apply to the College at any point in the calendar year and after acceptance may register and begin the program. Once the student is ready to begin the dissertation a Faculty Advisor will be assigned to guide the student through the process.
Program Duration
The program is designed to be taken at the students own speed. Each of the 9 core courses and the following comprehensive examination are open for 10 weeks. Students register for 3 courses at a time for 3 ten week periods. Students may complete the courses in a shorter period of time and progress to the next set of course. The comprehensive examination is also open for 10 weeks upon registration.
Likewise the dissertation courses, submission of the proposal and final dissertation can be taken and submitted at the students own pace. It is expected that the student should be able to complete the program within two years.
Graduation Requirements
To qualify for graduation students must successfully complete all courses, examinations and the dissertation project and defense. In addition, students must meet all of their responsibilities to the college, including payment of all tuition and fees.
Course Extension Request
As the situation merits, an extension of time to complete a course may be granted for a student who has experienced temporary emergency circumstances (family, health or employment) that have made it impossible for them to complete the course requirements within the allotted time. Students should request an academic extension in writing to the office of Administration and Student Affairs.
Dismissal, Suspension and Probation
A student may be dismissed, suspended or placed on probation for any of the following actions:
- Cheating, plagiarism, or forgery of college documents, course or program requirements.
- Sharing or possession of college and/or course exam questions.
- Furnishing false information.
Plagiarism is an ethical concept based on community standards. In academic contexts it is perceived as a serious violation of academic honesty. Plagiarism can be intentional and unintentional. It is intentional when a writer seeks to deceive the audience by claiming works as one’s own production that was not created but stolen or “borrowed” from another, with little or no attribution of that fact, or “created” citations that are unrelated to the quotations. Unintentional plagiarism can result from failing to cite or cite adequately a source or from a misuse of the summary or paraphrase of a cited source.
Consequences of such activities will be determined by the Academic Committee.
Good Academic Standing
All courses are taken on a pass/fail basis. In order to pass the core courses students must pass each course exam with a 75%.
Student Grievances
If a student has a problem with any aspect of the program they should first try to resolve the issue with the Director of Administration and Student Affairs or with the relevant faculty member.
If this does not resolve the issue they may file a formal written complaint. The President is informed of all complaints, and works with the academic dean and Director of Student Affairs to determine a course of action and resolution. In some cases a Grievance Committee may be convened. In such cases the Grievance Committee may reject the complaint or it may expel, disqualify, suspend, place on probation, or warn the student, faculty, or staff.
The individual in question will be notified in writing by the Academic Dean, Director of Student Affairs or the Grievance Committee regarding the outcome.
Maintenance of Student Records
In addition to permanently retaining a transcript the college also maintains pertinent student records for all graduates and students who attend the college but withdraw before completion for an indefinite amount of time.
Changes in Policies, Fees, Etc.
California Acupuncture College reserves the right to make changes to its policies, procedures and fees.
Non Discrimination
California Acupuncture College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, ancestry, color, religion, sex, gender identity or disability.
1) Core Courses:
Consist of 9 on-line courses, grouped in three sections over three terms. Each course consists of 2 hours of online class per week over an 8 week period, plus study, with a final exam upon completion of each course.
Group One.
OMD 601: Muscular-Skeletal Problems (1 credit)
OMD 602: Hormones and Their Effects on the Body (1 credit)
OMD 603: Imbalances and Illness of the Organs (1 credit)
Group Two.
OMD 604: Zhang/Fu and Five Elements of the Five Conditions (1 credit)
OMD 605: Infectious Diseases (1 credit)
OMD 606: Herbs-Singular and Formulas (1 credit)
Group Three.
OMD 607: Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (1 credit)
OMD 608: Mind-Body and Psychology Problems (1 credit)
OMD 609: Practice Management and Running a Business for Practitioners (1 credit)
2) Comprehensive Examination
EXM 980: Comprehensive Examination. (2 credits)
Taken following the completion of the doctoral tutorials and prior to undertaking the dissertation proposal.
3) Dissertation
The activities associated with the dissertation are broken into 3 segments:
A) RES 985: Dissertation Proposal (4 credits)
This program element guides students through the formal research proposal process for their dissertations, including the development of the research methodology, data gathering device, and data analysis techniques.
B) RES 990: Dissertation Project (8 credits)
The dissertation will demonstrate mastery of the topic and an original contribution to the field. The project may take any of several forms, depending on the topic. This may be quantitative or qualitative research, literature review and meta analysis, participatory action research, or a major project demonstrating excellence.
C) EXM 995: Oral Defense of Dissertation (2 credits)
This examination is an oral defense of the doctoral dissertation by the student conducted by the doctoral committee following the reading of the dissertation manuscript.