Acupuncture Training Course Structure

Course Structure of the Acupuncture Training Course

Course structure and attendance requirements

The course structure of the Acupuncture Training Course is designed to meet the needs of adult students. It is an intensive part time 3 year course. All teaching sessions are held only on Saturdays and Sundays and there are twelve main TCM teaching weekends each year. This means that there are 24 days of intensive face-to-face teaching and assessment in each of the first 2 years, and more during the Clinical Training year – the third year. Teaching Weekends during the first and second year are usually spaced 3 or 4 weeks apart.

We provide a blended course structure which enables students to learn most of the Acupuncture and TCM theory via Zoom, making this a suitable course for those living further away from Dublin and those balancing life and work committments with training in Acupuncture TCM. The majority – approximately 60-70% – of the first and second year teaching is theoretical and is conducted via Zoom.

The remaining teaching sessions focus mainly on the development of practical point location and other hands-on skills and on Assessment. The practical Acupuncture, Diagnostic and and Clinical skills are, of course, all taught in the the College and Teaching Clinic in Dublin 3 as practical guidance from an experienced teacher is necessary to aid the development of skills and competence.

Students are required to attend all the teaching sessions in person, including those run via Zoom.

Course Dates and times

The First year normally runs from early October until early July. The Second year beings again in late Septemebr or early October. The Third (Clinical) year normally begins in early September. Once the start date is set the information can be seen on our Acupuncture Dates page.

In the first and second years the normal teaching day is from 9.00 to 17.00 on Saturday and Sunday. This better enables adults who have work and home commitments to undertake training for a new profession while meeting their current responsibilities. The Western Medicine Module, for those who need to do it, is held on a different Saturday, for the first six months of the first year. Students attend for 3 hours on an additonal Saturday morning, once a month via Zoom.

In the Clinical Year (third Year) there are more teaching weekends to meet the hours requirement for Acupuncture training. Clinical Training weekends are run fortnightly during the first six months of the Academic year, and require attendance in person at the College’s Teaching Clinic in Dublin. Additional theoretical modules and project assessments in the latter part of the Academic year are mainly run via Zoom.

The dates for the full Academic year are given to accepted students as early as possible to enable them to plan ahead for the whole year.

Further information

Point Location in College

There are home study and assignment requirements throughout the programme.

The amount of study time needed to successfully complete the coursework varies from person to person. Applicants who are called to interview will be individually advised about this by one of our experienced senior teachers.

Open-learning modules, point location sessions and clinical workshops are made available from time to time if required. The 100% attendance rule does not apply to such extra sessions.