Call for Public Comment – Entry-level doctoral degree completion tracks

At its 12-14 August 2024 meeting, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (“ACAHM” or “Commission”) considered modifications to its Comprehensive Standards and Criteria (“Standards”).  Before making any changes to its Standards, ACAHM is providing notice to all relevant stakeholders and constituencies (“interested parties”) of the proposed change and giving the interested parties adequate opportunity to comment on the proposed change. ACAHM will use the input received to help inform its final decision.

PROPOSED REVISION

Professional entry-level doctoral program accreditation standards currently include an option for programs to offer a doctoral degree completion track providing an opportunity for graduates of an ACAHM-accredited/pre-accredited master’s-level program to attain degree parity with graduates of an entry-level doctoral program by "filling in" any gaps between their professional master's degree education and current entry-level doctoral degree education.

While a doctoral completion track has distinct admissions and program length requirements (see ACAHM accreditation criteria 5.08 and 7.02 for details), it is considered by the Commission as a component of the overall professional entry-level doctoral program, rather than a separately accredited program.

The Commission proposes ending the doctoral completion track option. Entry-level doctoral degree completion tracks would no longer be an option for ACAHM-accredited programs after 1 January 2030.

Points of note:

1. Extending the doctoral degree completion track option until 2030 will afford time for interested master’s graduates to pursue a completion track degree.

2. Data indicates waning interest in degree completion track enrollment.

3. Removing the completion track will further strengthen the integrity of the full entry-level doctoral program.

4. The advanced practice doctoral programs (currently named DAOM) will remain as the most advanced ACAHM-accreditable doctoral programs.

PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS

Interested parties are invited to comment on the proposed revisions outlined above through the electronic survey that can be found here: Call for Public Comment – Entry-level doctoral degree completion tracks

Should you encounter any technical difficulties submitting the survey, please contact Amos Folz by email at Amos.folz@acahm.org

Comments must be received by 4:30pm US Central Time on 24 October 2024.  

Comments timely submitted will be considered by the Commission.  ACAHM cannot guarantee that comments relating to this matter received after the due date and time will be considered.

Comments must be limited to the proposed change; comments that do not pertain specifically to the proposed change will not be considered at this time.