AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine

Chinese medicine unites the parts with the whole, linking the health of organ systems to the health of the individual and linking the individual to the world around them. This truly integrative medicine draws people from diverse backgrounds together under the common goal of healing. When you answer the call to practice Chinese medicine, you step into a deep tradition of dynamic medicine and prepare yourself to meet the needs of the community around you.

AOMA's Graduate Program in Oriental Medicine

AOMA Graduate School of Integrative medicine (AOMA) is one of the leading graduate schools of acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the nation. With an internationally renowned faculty, strong leadership, regional accreditation, demonstrated student success, and a new campus opening in the spring of 2011, AOMA's reputation as a national leader in the fields of acupuncture and Oriental medical education, health care, and policy-making continues to grow.

Students at AOMA benefit directly from the school's strong reputation. Since its founding in 1993, AOMA has attracted some of the most talented faculty in the world, formed collaborations with major hospital systems and local community clinics, and developed an extensive network of student intern clinics that conducts more than 20,000 patient visits each year, allowing students to gain clinical experience as early as their first term.

AOMA's curriculum includes the study of integrating acupuncture and Chinese medicine with Western medicine, and students are able to see and participate in the practical applications of this integration through clinical internships in various Western medical settings.

AOMA students learn from faculty who are:

• internationally recognized for their research and teaching,
• engaged in clinical practice, with decades of clinical experience to inform their teaching,
• authors of textbooks and articles, and
• at the forefront of the practice of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine both in the United States and around the world.

All of AOMA's professors in Oriental medical sciences have been educated in China.

AOMA students enjoy life in Austin, Texas, named one of the Best Places to Live by U.S. News and World Report in 2009, and cited by Time Magazine in 2010 as "a model of hope" for national economic recovery. Austin boasts:

• a renowned quality of life and moderate cost of living,
• exceptionally vibrant music and cultural scenes,
• open green spaces, warm climate, beautiful Hill Country scenery, and
• a distinctive, laid-back lifestyle.

Austin is also a high-tech hub with major employers like Apple and Dell, and is host to the famous South by Southwest and Austin City Limits festivals.

Students at AOMA are encouraged to explore both their professional and personal development through a holistic curriculum that includes one of the most comprehensive herbal programs in the nation, and also integrates traditional mind-body practices like taichi and qigong, and Asian bodywork therapies like tuina and medical qigong. On campus, AOMA maintains a dedicated mind-body studio where students practice, meditate, take classes, and relax throughout the day.

AOMA's herbal program includes:

• identification and functional understanding of more than 300 individual medicinal herbs,
• hands-on herbal preparation experience in AOMA's herbal lab and herbal medicine center,
• education in the theories that govern creation and application of herbal formulas,
• exploration of the classical texts that inform Chinese herbal medicine, and
• a learning garden where students grow herbs in conjunction with the American Botanical Council.

AOMA's acupuncture program includes:

• basic and advanced education in pulse, tongue, and abdominal diagnosis,
• experience in acupuncture techniques beginning as early as the first term,
• extensive, multi-course exploration of acupuncture point location and energetics,
• a curriculum based in Traditional Chinese Medicine and inclusive of techniques and theories from other Asian cultures, and
• education in multiple adjunct modalities like moxibustion, electrical stimulation, cupping, and gua sha.

AOMA graduates are successful economically, socially, and personally. More than 95 percent of AOMA graduates receive licensure within one year of graduation. AOMA students have a network of support that begins with the pre-admissions process and continues throughout their lives and many AOMA graduates choose to enter the profession in collaborative practice with their fellow classmates. All AOMA graduates benefit from a strong alumni association and an alumni support program that includes business skills classes and career development services.

AOMA works actively to promote the success of its graduates including working to create employment opportunities for acupuncturists within the Austin area and beyond. Below are a few of the paths pursued by AOMA alumni after graduation:

• Acupuncturist/herbalist in private practice – Nationwide
• Oriental medical practitioner, Central Family Practice – Austin, TX
• Acupuncturist, Steiner Cruise Lines – Global
• Faculty member, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine – Chicago, IL
• Author/speaker – nationwide
• Acupuncturist, Rebound Physical Therapy – Redmond, OR
• Oriental medical practitioner, The Back Center – Scottsdale, AZ
• Doctoral program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine

If you are interested in any of our programs and would like to find out more, arrange a tour of the school, or observe a class please Request Information.