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Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

Types of Degrees Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Master’s Degree	930
Doctor’s Degree	554

What Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Majors Need to Know

Studies in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Trigram Software AcuBase Pro	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Qpalm Acupuncture	Medical software	—
Qchart	Medical software	—
Miridia Technology AcuGraph	Medical software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
QPuncture II	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates include:

• Herbalist
• Acupuncturist
• Acupressurist
• Naturopathic Doctor
• Naturopath
• Chinese Medicine Doctor
• Auricular Acupuncturist
• Oriental Medicine Provider
• Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor
• Auricular Detoxification Specialist
• Auricular Therapist
• Acupuncture Doctor
• Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD)
• Acupuncture Physician
• Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	33.3%
Master’s degree	27.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	25.5%
First professional degree	5.1%
Bachelor’s degree	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.2%
Post-doctoral training	1.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.3% of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,148	77.3%
Men	337	22.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	558	37.6%
Asian	539	36.3%
Hispanic or Latino	57	3.8%
Black or African American	46	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	11	0.7%
Two or More Races	61	4.1%
Race Unknown	125	8.4%
International Students	83	5.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$31,185
4 years	$30,904
5 years	$35,897

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $35,897 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine graduates earn a median of $30,904 four years after completion — about 19% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.33
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems, Other	51.3399
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.3300
Ayurvedic Medicine/Ayurveda	51.3305
Holistic/Integrative Health	51.3306
Homeopathic Medicine/Homeopathy	51.3304
Naturopathic Medicine/Naturopathy	51.3303
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbology	51.3302
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services, Other	51.3499
Aromatherapy	51.3701
Direct Entry Midwifery	51.3401
Energy and Biologically Based Therapies, Other	51.3799

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.