8941 Aztec Drive | Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347-1916 | p. 952-212-2434 | f. 952-657-7068
ACCREDITATION COMMISSION FOR ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE
SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE FOR ACAOM ACCREDITED PROGRAMS
OFFERING OF A FIRST PROFESSIONAL DOCTORAL (FPD) PROGRAM IN ENGLISH
The offering of a first professional doctoral (FPD) program in acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine
for schools with current ACAOM accredited program(s) is considered a substantive change,
requiring approval by the Commission before students can be admitted to the program (see Policies
and Procedures Handbook, Sections 1.14.2, #4 and 2.14.2, #4.) For colleges planning to initiate an
FPD concurrently with other existing ACAOM accredited AOM degree or certificate programs, the
substantive change request must address and demonstrate that the FPD offering will not adversely
affect these programs. The Commission also has the responsibility for ensuring that FPD training in
acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine meets the highest standards/criteria for quality education and
training. Consistent with these responsibilities it is the Commission’s belief that only the strongest
schools with significant resources and experience in higher education should consider offering a
first professional doctoral program.
The Commission will only approve the substantive change, allowing schools to begin enrolling
students in FPD programs when all the ACAOM accredited program(s) are in compliance with all
the Commission Standards, Criteria and Policies.
The institution’s application to offer a FPD program in acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine shall
be reviewed by the Commission in accordance with the following process:
A.
After the institution has completed the planning for the establishment of a first professional
doctoral program in acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine, but at least 12 months before
students are admitted to the program, the institution must file with the Commission a complete
report for the offering of the program, which meets all the requirements of this application.
The Commission will review the report and determine if additional information is required.
B.
Multi-language track programs must submit the initial substantive change request for the
English track only. Once the English language track is granted candidacy, the
institution/program may apply through the substantive change process to offer in another
language the same program that is in Candidate status (six months notice).
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C.
A one day focused site visit by ACAOM staff will take place prior to the full commission’s
action. The site visit cost will be for direct expenses only.
D.
Based on the substantive change application, the site visit report, and the formal institutional
response to the site visit report, the Commission will determine whether to approve the
institution/program to begin admitting students. The Commission may take any of the
following actions on an institution’s application to offer a FPD program in acupuncture and/or
Oriental medicine: (1) grant approval to admit students to the FPD program; (2) grant
approval to admit students to the FPD program with conditions; (3) defer action on the
institution’s application to admit students to the FPD program pending additional reports; or
(4) deny approval to admit students to the FPD program. Commission approval does not
confer ACAOM candidacy or accreditation status to the FPD program.
E.
A school that has been approved through this substantive change process must then submit an
Eligibility Report for Candidacy on April 1 or October 1, which is no sooner than twelve (12)
months and no later than eighteen (18) months from the date that the initial term of classes
commences. A Letter of Intent with Attachment 1 is due at least 30 days prior to the
submission of the Eligibility Report. Eligibility Reports submitted by April 1 are on schedule
for review at the following winter commission meeting or by October 1 are on schedule for
the following summer commission meeting. The program will be reviewed according to the
Commission’s policies and procedures for attaining candidacy and accreditation status.
F.
The substantive change application for the FPD program in acupuncture and/or Oriental
medicine must be submitted to the Commission as 3 electronic copies (USB drives) entitled:
"Application to Admit Students to a First Professional Doctoral Program in [specify
Acupuncture and/or Oriental Medicine, as applicable].” The requirement for the content of
this application follows. The Application Cover Sheet and the review fee must accompany the
application. A non-refundable fee of $4000 (US) for review of a substantive change
application for a first professional doctoral program is required at the time of submission.
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ACCREDITATION COMMISSION FOR ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE
APPLICATION COVER SHEET
FIRST PROFESSIONAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN ACUPUNCTURE AND/OR
ORIENTAL MEDICINE
For ACAOM Accredited Institutions or Programs
INSTITUTION NAME:
I.APPLICATION for PROGRAM(s) IN (check one or both):
Acupuncture
Oriental medicine
II. INSTITUTION LIAISON FOR ACCREDITATION-RELATED MATTERS:
Contact Name:
Position:
Email:
Phone:
III. ADDRESS WHERE PROGRAM WILL BE OFFERED:
Address1:
Address2
City:
State:
Zip:
IV. NUMBER OF STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE SCHOOL’S ACAOM
ACCREDITED AND AOM-RELATED PROGRAM(S) – Fill in only as applicable:
Program
Master’s - Acupuncture
Master’s - Oriental Medicine
DAOM
List all AOM-Related Programs
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English
Chinese
Korean
V.
ANTICIPATED DATES OF:
Admission of first students:
First classes to begin:
VI. PREPARE THREE (3) ELECTRONIC COPIES of the full report and support
documentation on USB drives. All copies with a check for $4,000 must be mailed to
ACAOM, 14502 Greenview Drive Suite 300B, Laurel, MD 20708.
VII.
By checking the box, I CERTIFY that the substantive change application report is true
and accurate.
Name of Authorized School Representative:
Title:
Date:
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE APPLICATION REPORT
FIRST PROFESSIONAL DOCTORAL (FPD) PROGRAM IN ACUPUNCTURE AND/OR
ORIENTAL MEDICINE
Before a FPD substantive change application report in acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine will be
deemed acceptable for commission review, it must present a factual and comprehensive
compilation of descriptive narratives with supporting documentation, where applicable,
answering each of the questions and information requests on the application form.
Information about all proposed off-campus activities of the FPD program must be included in
the narratives for each question or information requested on this form to which they apply.
All pages must be numbered consecutively, including those in the Appendix.
In support of the program's descriptive presentation in the substantive change application report,
copies of the required institutional and programmatic documents described in this form must
be appended to relevant sections. Other documentation sufficient to answer and support the
questions and information requests on this form must also be provided. The report must have
a table of contents and be organized in such a way as to separate each section of the report.
The report sections must cite the supporting documentation for each question that applies.
This report is designed to constitute the institution’s detailed feasibility study and plan for its FPD
program. It must fully and comprehensively address planning in accordance with the
following sections as they pertain in part to the FPD’s 10 accreditation standards.
FPD SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE APPLICATION REPORT NARRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 1: PURPOSE
1.
Provide the proposed FPD statement of purpose and program learning outcomes. This
narrative should include the planned resources and activities of the FPD that will support the
institution’s ability to meet the statement of purpose and student learning outcomes.
2.
Provide the institution’s plans for ensuring that the program learning outcomes of the
proposed FPD program will be verified and measured by the program, including the various
ways in which the program plans to measure whether the statement of purpose and program
learning outcomes are being achieved.
Required Documents
A.
Documents that are planned to be issued to the FPD program’s prospective students regarding
institutional purposes and program learning outcomes and the proposed doctoral program
(e.g., Catalog, Student Handbook).
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PERTAINING TO STANDARD 2: LEGAL ORGANIZATION
1.
Provide evidence of authorization to establish a FPD program by the institution’s charter or
governing board which also ensures that the FPD program will be under the same ownership
and governance as the existing ACAOM accredited Masters degree(s) and or DAOM program
and will use the same name as the main school.
2.
Provide a detailed plan for obtaining doctoral degree-granting status, which clearly identifies
the measures that the institution and/or its proposed doctoral program must take to bring itself
into compliance with relevant state department of education requirements. Include the FPD
degree title as authorized by the state department of education.
3.
Provide evidence of the most recent accreditation or preaccreditation of the institution by
another accrediting agency, including the most recent decision letters.
4.
Provide evidence of proof of the institution’s general liability and malpractice insurance
coverage for the proposed doctoral program. If the institution’s current insurance coverage
would not apply to the doctoral program, indicate the institution’s plans for obtaining such
coverage including time lines.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 3: GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
1.
Describe the administrative structure planned for the development and administration of the
FPD program. Include any new positions that will need to be established including title,
description of role, FTE, and reporting lines. If the institution plans to assign existing staff to
perform administrative functions for the FPD program, also indicate their names, titles, a
description of their roles, FTE, and reporting lines and their qualifications to serve in those
roles. The analysis must include evaluating the impact of any added responsibilities on the
administrator’s ability to also perform their duties in the existing ACAOM accredited
program(s). The above descriptions need to cover all critical program roles such as in
admissions, student services, financial management, academic leadership, administrative
support, etc.
2.
Describe the planned academic leadership structure for the proposed FPD program including:
the job title; description of the roles and responsibilities for those positions; reporting lines;
and their qualifications to serve in those positions. If the institution plans to assign existing
members of the school’s academic leadership, provide an analysis of the current and
anticipated added responsibilities of current positions in regards to administering the doctoral
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program. The analysis must include evaluating the impact of any added responsibilities on
the academic administrator’s ability to also perform their duties in the existing ACAOM
accredited program(s). The above descriptions need to cover all critical academic leadership
functions needed for the FPD program such as curriculum development and program
assessment, student academic advisement services, faculty evaluation and oversight, clinical
training oversight and management, etc.
Required Documents:
A.
An organizational chart for the FPD program and existing ACAOM accredited programs
including how they interrelate, that detail by position, title, and administrative reporting lines
of authority, all the administrative positions proposed for the doctoral program.
B.
Comprehensive job descriptions for all current and proposed administrative/staff positions for
the doctoral program, including qualifications for each position. Job descriptions must also be
included for those positions that will serve dual roles for the FPD and existing ACAOM
accredited programs.
C.
Comprehensive job descriptions for all proposed members of the doctoral program’s academic
leadership which detail by position, title, reporting lines of authority and academic functions,
duties and roles of applicable staff and faculty.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 4: RECORDS
1.
Provide the proposed FPD program’s plans for any changes or further development with the
institution or program’s record keeping systems as they pertain to both student academic
progress and patient care. The institution must demonstrate accurate and complete record
keeping systems.
2.
Provide the proposed FPD program’s plans for developing statistics on enrollment, retention
rates, withdrawals and graduation data and the program’s plans for developing demographic
data on its student body. The plans must describe how the program and the institution will
utilize this data for planning purposes and program evaluation.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 5: ADMISSIONS AND STUDENT SERVICES
1.
Describe the proposed admissions standards for the FPD program including academic
prerequisites, admitting international students, determining English language competency, and
admitting non-matriculated students to specific courses. Explain how each of these admission
requirements ensure that only those applicants who have demonstrated strong potential for
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successful completion of the program are admitted to the program.
2.
Describe in detail all policies and proposed practices related to transfer credits, prior learning,
and advanced standing. Specifically include the institution’s FPD admissions policy and
procedure in regards to the following: currently matriculated master’s program students,
applicants from other ACAOM accredited programs, and licensed acupuncturists with or
without prior master’s level training who wish to enroll in the FPD program. Indicate the
maximum number of credits allowable under these policies and the process to be utilized to
establish equivalent competency.
Required Documents:
A.
Provide copy of proposed recruiting materials for the FPD program.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 6: ASSESSMENT
1.
Describe, in detail, the proposed program’s planned systems and methods for evaluating
student performance relative to all elements and phases of the program/curriculum including
matriculation for transfer and advanced standing students. Include what competencies will be
expected of graduates from the program and what measures of student achievement are
anticipated to be utilized to assess whether these competencies have been met.
2.
Provide the proposed competencies to be achieved by graduates of the FPD program and the
specific methods that will be used to systematically evaluate the attainment of each expected
competency. The FPD program’s learning outcomes must address and lead to the development
of all Master’s level competencies plus the set of doctoral professional competencies outlined
in Appendix A of the FPD standards.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 7: PROGRAM OF STUDY
1.
Provide a full sequenced outline and description of the proposed academic and clinical
curriculum that demonstrates compliance with Standard 7-1: Program level, length, credits &
hours.
2.
Provide a description of where in the curriculum the program intends to provide students with
all the competencies described in ACAOM’s current master’s standards as well as the doctoral
professional competencies outlined in Appendix A of the FPD standards.
3.
Provide a description of the planned clinical training components including the staged clinical
competencies expected at each phase of training and how they will be measured.
4.
Describe the proposed program’s plans for ensuring sufficient patient populations and
adequate clinical facilities to accommodate the training needs of FPD students. Provide
analysis of the adequacy of both the patient population and the facilities in light of the training
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needs of students in other ACAOM accredited master(s) and DAOM programs that may be
running concurrently.
5.
Provide the institution’s policy statement on institutional credit hour and credit ratio as it
pertains to classes, labs, clinic and externships. The policy must include the process by which
the program assigns credits and how the assigned credit represents the minimum out-of-class
student work.
Required Documents:
A.
Course outlines for new classes that have been designed to provide doctoral competencies.
B.
A syllabus template for all FPD courses.
C.
A complete and comprehensive clinic handbook which includes the policies, procedures and
evaluation methods and forms for meeting the clinical training requirements of the proposed
doctoral program, including for externships in other health care settings.
D.
Copy of sample diploma or degree proposed to be awarded by the doctoral program.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 8: FACULTY
1.
Provide details on the proposed number of faculty members (including FTE) to accommodate
the FPD program.
2.
Provide evidence that the proposed program has retained or obtained commitments from a
sufficient number of highly experienced and credentialed faculty to deliver the curriculum.
Explain on what basis the proposed program determined that each proposed faculty member
has the necessary credentials, educational and professional backgrounds, language skills and
teaching skills to teach at the doctoral level. If any faculty for the proposed doctoral program
will also be teaching students in the institution’s existing ACAOM-accredited degree
programs, provide the school’s proposed policies and procedures for ensuring that faculty
teaching loads will reasonably allow faculty to meet all their obligations to both programs.
Required Documents:
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A.
Provide the curriculum vitae of each proposed faculty member that fully describes their
academic qualifications and backgrounds, professional and educational experiences as well as
teaching experience.
PERTAINING TO STANDARD 9: INSTITUTIONAL AND PROGRAM RESOURCES
1.
If the physical facilities and/or equipment for the doctoral program will be shared with the
institution’s other ACAOM accredited degree program(s), provide a detailed analysis of the
adequacy of those facilities and equipment to accommodate all programs without adversely
impacting the quality of education and training of any programs offered by the school.
2.
Provide a comprehensive analysis of the adequacy of the library space, current hours of
operation, library staffing qualifications, library security, library holdings, computer and
online resources, etc. to support the institution’s proposed FPD program as well as other
ACAOM accredited Master(s) and DAOM programs. Describe how the library will serve the
needs of the FPD program without adversely impacting the quality of any of the school’s
existing programs. Describe the adequacy of planned library holdings in each language in
which the program will be taught. Also describe any plans to provide doctoral student access
to other library resources within the community.
3.
Describe the proposed doctoral program’s plans for utilizing off campus clinic and/or
classroom facilities for doctoral training, including plans for ensuring that adequate controls
are in place and that such facilities are appropriate to doctoral level training.
4.
Provide a detailed analysis demonstrating that the institution has sufficient financial resources
to offer a doctoral program, including those needed for rent, equipment, library development,
faculty and staff salaries, and other required program expenses without adversely impacting
the financial stability of the institution and the quality of the ACAOM accredited Masters
degree program.
Required Documents:
A.
Provide either the curriculum vitae of current professional library staff or a job description
with the requisite qualifications and backgrounds including professional and educational
requirements.
B.
Provide the operating budget of the institution, as a whole, for the remainder of this fiscal year
showing budget to actual year to date revenue and expense. Provide the proposed operating
budget for the entire institution for the next three fiscal years that incorporates and identifies
specific projected revenue and expenses from the FPD program.
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PERTAINING TO STANDARD 10: PUBLICATIONS AND ADVERTISING
1.
Provide documentation demonstrating planning activities with regards to publications and
advertising for the proposed FPD program.
Required Documents:
A.
All proposed draft publications including: a doctoral program catalog, brochure(s), bulletin(s),
student handbook(s), advertisements, and any other documents setting forth the proposed
program, curriculum, faculty, clinic, policies, services and activities of the proposed doctoral
program.
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