NESA MAc & MAOM Degrees

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

Recently the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) informed its

alumni (who graduated within the past 3 years with Masters of

Acupuncture degerees) of an important decision regarding the granting

of the MA of Oriental Medicine degree to only new graduates. The

letter sent out to the alumni stated that even though the chours and

coursework are not different NESA decidied it would not be inthe

interests of the school to offer the MAOM to recent alums. As an

herbalst with the requisite 454 hour certificate I was dissapointed

with this decision to be shut out from a degree in Oriental Medicine.

 

I would like to know how many others will be affected and if they may

be similarily concerned. Below is an ecerpt from a personal

communication of a wel informed herbalist. Please read it and Ihope

that some of you will become motivated to respond to NESA's decision

by writing to NESA.edu

 

Here's the basic story on NESA and the MAOM degree. Let me know if

you have any questions or need additional info. And thanks again for

caring about this, I think this decision has a very detrimental

effect on the profession. It creates alot of confusion about the

training and qualifications that we have at precisely the time in the

development of the herbal profession that we badly need the proper

credentials. The public and regulators understand that a degree means

a dedicated and serious course of study and at this stage in the life

of the profession we need to present the best credentials we can.

Especially with herbs, which are coming under closer scrutiny from

all sides. I have just spent 2 years representing the Oriental

Medicine profession on the MA State legislature's commission on

alternative medicine and I can assure you that those folks want to

see practitioners with degrees. Otherwise how do you evaluate the

training?

 

So basically NESA is denying people with the MAc the opportunity to

get the MAOM, even though they have completed the requirements for

the degree (in the case of people with the MAc and the herbal

certificate). Basically, the requirements for the MAOM are the same

as those for the MAc plus the herbal program. It is a more

comprehensive degree, evidencing a full course of study in herbs and

acupuncture. NESA is at the same time awarding the MAOM to current

grads and giving all other alum (without the MAc) three years to

complete the requirements and receive the more valuable degree. The

only people who cannot get the MAOM (ever) are those who have

completed all the requirements for the degree who happened to have

the MAc (like us) and anyone with the MAc who is in the process of

completing the herbal program or who was contemplating returning to

school to complete the herbal program. As the degree becomes the

minimum standard in the field we will be shut out from ever being

able to get it (unless you go to another school and repeat the entire

program). All of the repercussions are not knowable at this time,

however, it is safe to assume that schools will require that faculty

have the degree to be able to teach, since faculty is evaluated by

accrediting agencies partly on the degrees that they hold. It may

affect people's ability to get licensed in other states (to take the

CA exam, NESA has told students that they must have the MAOM degree),

and it will certainly affect job status and third party payment in

the future since credentialling bodies all require a degree when one

is available in the field.

 

NESA is accredited by ACAOM, the OM accreditation commission. They

have no reg prohibiting the granting of this degree to us. The MA

state board of higher ed likewise has no reg prohibiting the granting

of this degree to us. NESA has stated that the regional accreditors

will withhold accreditation to the school if NESA gives us the

degree, however NEASC (the regional accrediting agency) has no

regulation prohibiting the granting of the degree to us, they have

allowed Yale U to do a similar thing and could not possibly have a

double standard in these matters. NESA is not even under the

jurisdiction of NEASC since they are not accredited by them nor even

in the application status. NESA claims that granting us the degree

compromises its integrity as an institution. When asked how granting

a degree to people who have completed the requirements for the degree

compromises integrity, NESA is silent.

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope that people understand

the implications of this decision and what is involved. It is a

serious blow to the herbalists who will never be able to have a

degree evidencing their work, while at the same time other herbalists

(many with lesser training and experience) will have the degree. It

divides the profession, all for no good reason.