Pacific College of Oriental Medicine Information

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is a private, for-profit college in the United States, with campuses in San Diego, New York, and Chicago. The college is institutionally-accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission and programatically-accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). The College works in conjunction with lawmakers and medical professionals to advance the standards of the holistic medicine profession. Pacific College has received awards for its acupuncture and Oriental medicine curriculum and clinical training, as well as research grants from the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, among others.

In 1986, the California Acupuncture College (CAC) in San Diego closed, leaving many acupuncture students adrift, as it was the only acupuncture school in the city. Joseph Lazzaro, Richard Gold, Ana de Vedia, and Alex Tiberi, all former administrators or faculty of the CAC, founded Pacific College to ensure that the stranded CAC students could complete their studies and take the California licensing exam. In 1988, Jack Miller, a graduate of the last 1986 class of the California Acupuncture College, was hired and made a full partner to aid in the college’s drive towards accreditation.

In 1990, the college achieved accreditation and California state authority to offer the master’s degree in traditional Oriental medicine. In 1993, in response to New York’s new regulations allowing acupuncture schools, Pacific College opened a branch in the Flatiron district of Manhattan in New York City, NY. In response to similar new acupuncture legislation in Illinois, the college opened a branch in Chicago in 2000.

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). The Master of Acupuncture degrees, Master of Oriental Medicine degrees, professional doctorate, and certificate in Chinese herbal medicine programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). ACAOM is recognized by the United States Department of Education as the specialized accreditation agency for institutions/programs preparing acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioners.

The accreditation status of the professional doctorate curricula applies to both the Doctor of Acupuncture and the Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. This status also applies to Pacific’s professional doctorate completion track. This professional doctorate completion track for graduates of ACAOM-accredited/pre-accredited master’s-level programs is considered by ACAOM as a component of the overall professional doctorate.

The Bachelor of Science of (Holistic) Nursing degree program is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Education in Nursing (ACEN). Both it and the postbaccalaureate Holistic Nursing Certificate are endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC).

In California, Pacific College is accredited by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC); in New York, by the State Education Department’s Office of Professions; and in Illinois, by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

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