Is graduation the same as being licensed?
Graduation and licensure are two separate milestones, and it's completely understandable to wonder whether one guarantees the other — it doesn't, but the path between them is clear and well-defined. Completing your degree at Five Branches means you've finished all required coursework, clinical hours, and administrative requirements (clear accounts, exit interview with financial aid, etc.
Graduation and licensure are two separate milestones, and it's completely understandable to wonder whether one guarantees the other — it doesn't, but the path between them is clear and well-defined.
Completing your degree at Five Branches means you've finished all required coursework, clinical hours, and administrative requirements (clear accounts, exit interview with financial aid, etc.). Licensure is a separate step that happens after graduation: you sit for a state or national exam, administered by a different body entirely, and pass it on your own.
| Step | What it is | Who administers it |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation | Completing coursework + required supervised patient treatments | Five Branches (school) |
| CALE | California Acupuncture Licensing Examination — required to practice in CA | California Acupuncture Board |
| NCBAHM exam | National certification (formerly called NCCAOM until it renamed 1/2/2026) — recognized by most other states | NCBAHM |
A few specifics worth knowing:
- The DAcHM/MAcHM degree prepares you to sit for both the CALE and the NCBAHM national exam.
- The DAc/MAc (acupuncture-only) degree prepares you for the NCBAHM exam only — a common route for practicing outside California, or for MDs already authorized to needle in CA.
- Before you can even sit for the CALE, you'll need to notify the school of your exam intent about a month ahead of the application deadline — a small logistics step, not a hurdle.
(Source: Five Branches DAcHM Catalog, p.104–105, 26 — last checked 07/2026.)
No school — Five Branches included — can guarantee you'll pass a licensing exam; that part is genuinely on you, though the curriculum includes several built-in review/competency checkpoints along the way specifically to prepare you for it.
Is it the CALE specifically you're curious about, or more the national exam and how it carries to other states?
Sources
- Five Branches University — Accreditation Degrees Programs checked 2026-08
- California Acupuncture Board checked 2026-08
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