Education · 1 of 5

The path

Graduate school, a lot of supervised clinic hours, then a state license.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   Biology, chemistry and anatomy if offered. Any job that involves touching and talking to people all day is useful preparation.

2. 2

   College credits first

   2 to 4 years

   Most acupuncture programs require at least two years of college, and many students finish a full bachelor's degree before applying.

3. 3

   Master's degree in acupuncture

   3 to 4 years

   Three to four years at a school accredited by ACAHM (the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine). Classroom science, point location, and hundreds of hours treating real patients in a student clinic.

4. 4

   Board examinations

   Months

   The national certification board runs written exams in acupuncture foundations, point location, safety and biomedicine. California runs its own separate exam instead.

5. 5

   State license

   Weeks to months

   Apply to your state's licensing board with your transcript, exam results and a clean background check.