Are there online or hybrid study options?
Are There Online or Hybrid Study Options?
That question usually comes from two different worries at once — "can I keep my job/family life while I do this?" and "can hands-on medicine really be learned partly on a screen?" Both are fair, and the honest answer depends on which degree track you mean, because they're built very differently.
| Program | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MAcHM / DAcHM / DAc / MAc (entry-level) | Campus-based, weekday daytime classes | Supervised patient-treatment hours are inherently in-person; part-time pacing is available to spread the load |
| DAcHM/DAc Bridge (Completion) | 100% online, asynchronous | For those who already hold a field master's (MAcHM/MTCM/MAc) and want to upgrade the title to a doctorate — 1 year, 3 trimesters, 315 hours total |
| DAOM (Doctor of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine) | Hybrid — about 49% online | Monthly 3–4 day in-person weekend intensives, remainder online; the school's own materials say it's built to be completed in as little as 24 months while you keep running your own practice |
| NDS (non-degree-seeking, "try one course first") | Same schedule as the course you enroll in | A no-commitment way to sample the coursework before deciding on a degree track |
The entry-level clinical hours come from the school's own DAcHM-MAcHM-DAc-MAc Catalog, as we last checked it in July 2026, and the Bridge/DAOM figures come from the separate Postgraduate DAOM Catalog, as we last checked it in July 2026 — worth confirming current details on the program pages directly, since catalogs get revised.
The through-line: the medicine itself (needling, palpation, patient care) is taught hands-on no matter the track — it's the surrounding coursework, and how much of it can flex around a job or a family, that varies degree by degree.
Which of these fits the shape of your life right now — are you starting fresh, or already holding a master's and looking to add the doctorate?
Sources
- Five Branches University, DAcHM-MAcHM-DAc-MAc-Catalog-2026-1, pp. 27-30 (Program Description (www.fivebranches.edu) checked 2026-07
- The school's own published catalog and website checked 2026-07
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