Standard entry requirements You should be an acupuncturist with a training which included TCM and be registered with a relevant professional body. You need to either have an initial degree OR have a professional qualification with relevant and responsible work experience equivalent to degree-level learning. This will normally be experience of practicing as an acupuncturist, or in a healthcare or complementary medicine related field. Non-standard entry requirements Applicants such as people without an initial training in TCM, overseas graduates in acupuncture, physiotherapists, tuina and shiatsu practitioners, and doctors at an advanced level of TCM knowledge may be eligible and will be assessed on a case by case basis. We will require documented details of your previous training and you will be required to undertake a case-based assignment. The application process is designed to ensure that you will thrive on the academic and practical aspects of the course, and that you will be ready and able to take on the responsibilities of a professional herbalist when you qualify. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) - entry for students who have already completed some Chinese herbal medicine training and are looking to complete at the NCA If you would like to transfer to the NCA from another institution, or if you have previously completed part of your training and had to stop, we will work with you to assess what level of study you have attained and how this fits with our Chinese herbal medicine course. This is called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). We will ask you to provide transcripts and syllabus of your previous study programme and undertake a case based assignment. Students who have completed a post-graduate qualification in Chinese herbal medicine may also be able to enter at the dissertation stage. We will guide and support you though this process. We will charge a fee to process an RPL application and we will advise you in advance how much this will cost (minimum charge will be £150). Overseas students Overseas students are welcome provided that you don’t need to be domiciled in the UK to practically undertake the course. English language requirement Communication is such an important part both of the course, and in interactions with patients, that our students need to be proficient in the use of spoken and written English. If English is not your first language we will expect you to take an English language assessment with one of the many providers such as Duolingo, IELTS, TOFEL and Cambridge English Advanced. We normally require an overall IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent, however there may be some flexibility for native Chinese speakers which we assess on a case by case basis.

English language requirements