November 14, 2018—Northwestern Health Sciences University announced that it will offer its first Doctor of Chinese Medicine degree to students, blending an understanding of classical approaches to wellness and healing with modern applications in clinical and hospital settings.
This is the first such program offered in Minnesota at a regionally accredited college or university. The 10trimester program will focus on acupuncture and traditional herbal medicine, both of which are at the center of Chinese medicine. Students also will earn a Master of Acupuncture degree as part of the program.
“We’re offering this new degree because of marketplace demand from our students and the health-care industry,” said Christian Jovanovic, DC, program director of the Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine program. “We’re seeing a great interest in understanding and applying the tools of traditional healing, especially in combination with modern health-care services offered in clinics and hospitals.”
He added: “We have a long and proud tradition as one of the top universities training practitioners in Chinese medicine. We’re honored to offer this degree at a time when more health-care consumers and professionals see value in the growing body of evidence supporting Chinese medicine as part of a health strategy.”
Traditional Chinese medicine originated centuries ago and is now practiced worldwide, including increasingly in the U.S. Practitioners use herbal medicines and various mind and body practices, including acupuncture and tai chi, to treat and prevent health problems. In the U.S., the popularity of Chinese medicine has risen with an increased focus on less-invasive health care, awareness of the addictive dangers of some drugs used to treat pain, and concerns about the cost and effectiveness of some surgeries.
The new doctoral program is designed to increase the marketability and value that graduates bring to the health-care industry, including through wider practice opportunities in clinical and hospital settings.
“The approach to health and wellness that traditional Chinese medicine has taught for centuries now is generating high levels of interest,” said Dale Healey, DC, dean of the College of Health & Wellness. “More health providers are understanding that one of the world’s oldest approaches to wellness and healing has high value in the modern world. We’re excited to start working with our first group of students in this program.”
The Doctor of Chinese Medicine program is available beginning in January to applicants with at least 90 undergraduate credits. For more information, students can call 952-885-5409.
For more than 75 years, Northwestern Health Sciences University, based in Bloomington, Minn., has provided world-class professional education and research as well as comprehensive health and wellness services. Its more than 130 faculty members annually teach about 6,500 students pursuing degrees and continuing education in accredited programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, Chinese medicine, nutrition and other health treatments. Northwestern has more than 7,500 graduates throughout the U.S. and in 21 countries. For more information, please visit nwhealth.edu.
Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University
