Will I learn acupuncture, herbs, and tuina — all of them?
Good question to ask before committing years to a program — you want to know the actual shape of what you'd be trained in, not just the degree title on the wall. At Five Branches University, it depends on which entry-level program you're weighing, since the school's curriculum is literally organized around what it calls the "five branches" of TCM: Acupuncture, Herbology, Tuina Massage, Energetics, and Chinese Dietary Medicine.
Will you learn acupuncture, herbs, and tuina?
Good question to ask before committing years to a program — you want to know the actual shape of what you'd be trained in, not just the degree title on the wall.
At Five Branches University, it depends on which entry-level program you're weighing, since the school's curriculum is literally organized around what it calls the "five branches" of TCM: Acupuncture, Herbology, Tuina Massage, Energetics, and Chinese Dietary Medicine.
| Program | Acupuncture | Herbs | Tuina |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAcHM / MAcHM (Doctor & Master of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine) | ✅ Full training | ✅ Full training | ✅ Included |
| DAc / MAc (acupuncture-only dual-degree) | ✅ Full training | ❌ Not included | ✅ Included |
Some specifics from the school's own catalog (last checked 07–08/2026):
- Herbology: six trimesters of study, covering 350+ individual herbs, taught with Pinyin herb names.
- Tuina: a required course (TCM Tuina Massage, FAP 610) introducing traditional Chinese therapeutic massage as part of the core curriculum — plus an optional elective Tuina Massage specialization/certificate track for students who want deeper clinical training in it beyond the core course.
So the honest answer: the DAcHM/MAcHM path is the one that gives you all three as core training. The DAc/MAc path gives you acupuncture and tuina, but deliberately leaves herbs out — worth knowing if working with herbal medicine is part of why you're drawn to this in the first place.
Is herbal medicine something you're specifically hoping to practice, or is acupuncture the main draw for you?
Sources
- Five Branches University — Dtcm Mtcm Program checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — Tcm Acupuncture checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — Tcm Herbology checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — The Five Branches checked 2026-08
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