Tai Sophia Institute - Master of Acupuncture Program

About the Institute

Tai Sophia Institute is a graduate school for the healing arts offering three on-campus master's degree programs in Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Applied Healing Arts. These degree programs are designed to meet the demands of people, like you, interested in earning an advanced degree in a field supporting alternative and complementary health-related services.

For more than a quarter century, the Institute has been recognized as the anchoring academic institute for the nation's emerging wellness system. With a team of highly trained professionals, world renowned faculty, and a rigorous curriculum, Tai Sophia continues to create programs that set the standard in this field of study.

Program Overview

The Master of Acupuncture (M.Ac.) program at Tai Sophia, the first accredited acupuncture program in the United States, offers a comprehensive curriculum that elegantly combines rigorous classroom teaching with rich, clinical experiences. As a basis for better serving clients, students are taught to become keen observers of nature - both in the outer world and within the individual.

Throughout the program, students are taught to become a healing presence in their practices. Students in the M.Ac. program not only gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become excellent practitioners, but they also graduate with a deep understanding of the Five elements philosophy and approach to healing. The program has been designed to merge practical applications and personal growth, thus providing the tools a practitioner needs to serve each client with great skill, compassion and insight. The M.Ac. program at Tai Sophia is a journey that is both academically challenging and richly transformative.

Program Highlights

• First accredited acupuncture program in the United States. Offered since 1981.
• Dynamic and distinguished faculty, including renowned experts and leaders in the field of Chinese Medicine.
• The teaching is deeply rooted in nature and the cycle of seasons.
• Students graduate with the embodied knowledge and skills needed for both building and maintaining a successful acupuncture practice.
• Comprehensive clinical experience with over 540 hours of supervised practice.
• Over 150 additional hours of real-life patient centered clinical observation.
• Unique program feature, where students learn in a small group format as well as in a one-to-one setting during clinical rotation.
• A division of the program is devoted to teaching healing philosophies, and to developing practices that support the embodiment of these philosophies.
• More than 800 alumni are practicing throughout the US as well as in Israel, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, New Zealand, and Canada.
• The full-time format includes two an a half days each week (weekdays) and occasional intensives.

Acupuncture Faculty

Program Leadership and Core Faculty

Jeff Millison, M.A., M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM), Program Director
Deneb Falabella, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM), Associate Director
Wendy Childs, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
Dianne M. Connelly, Ph.D., M.Ac. (UK), Dipl.Ac. (NCCA)
Robert Duggan, M.A., M.Ac. (UK), Dipl.Ac. (NCCA)
Kaiya Larson, M.Ac.
Tatyana Maltseva, M.Ac.
Heidi Most, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
David Paton, M.A., M.Ac.,
Deanna Slate Stennett, Lic.Ac.

Requirements for the Master of Acupuncture

The admissions requirements are detailed in our catalog and on-line, and include completion of a bachelor's degree. You are encouraged to meet with a member of the Office of Graduate Admissions, visit campus, participate in an Open House, and observe a class. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that you participate in a Redefining Health weekend workshop.

Resources and Programs

Redefining Health Weekend Workshop

This two-day program is the perfect introduction to the philosophical foundation of Tai Sophia Institute and is facilitated by Institute founders, Chancellor Dr. Dianne Connelly and President Robert Duggan. It is recommended that all prospective students participate. Your family and friends are welcomed as well as the general public.

Community Programs

Tai Sophia offers innovative non-degree training programs and workshops for members of the community eager to learn about the healing arts. We offer a wide variety of dynamic programs that have been designed to enhance wellness in body, mind, and spirit.

Clinical Services

On campus in Laurel as well as at two other locations within the Greater Baltimore/Washington area. The Institute also operates a treatment center staffed by faculty practitioners and students under supervision who provide clients with compassionate, relationship-centered care.

Tai Sophia Promise

We look after the welfare of every person and of the group as a whole. Our promise is that you will learn that service to life is the central reason for practicing a healing art and that exercising community responsibility serves you and serves all of life.

Contact Us Today!

We welcome your inquiries and look forward to serving you.

Click here to correspond with one of our admissions counselors and to learn more about our graduate degree programs as well as community workshops and events.