Doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (DATM) program at DULA is a four-year Professional Doctorate program.

The curriculum consists of two parts: 

The total DATM program consists of: 243 didactic quarter units (2,430 hours) and 50 clinic units (1,000 hours) for a total of 293 units (3,430 hours).

Students enrolling in the DATM program will be dual enrolled in the MSOM as well as the DATM program. DULA’s MSOM program prepares students to sit for California State Acupuncture Licensing Exam (CALE) and National certification exam (NCCAOM). Once students have completed all the MSOM requirements, students will be eligible to receive MSOM degree and advance with the state licensing exam and national certification exam, while completing the Professional Doctorate advanced courseworks.

DULA DATM program is offered only in English language.

The advanced Professional Doctorate (PD) courses will be offered in a module system. The PD completion program may be completed in less than a year.

To see the list of advanced PD courses, please click here.

Prospective students are invited to visit DULA and experience the community by scheduling a visit to our campus. Prospective students may sit in on classes, meet with faculty and current students, and experience clinical settings. Individual tours of the campus are available, and walk‐ins are always welcome. All prospective students who visit DULA in person or attend an on‐campus admissions info session will receive a tour of the campus and a comprehensive overview of your program of interest, including curriculum, class schedules, tuition, financial aid and answers to your specific questions.

To schedule a tour, please contact the Admissions Department at (213) 487-0110 or send an email to admissions@dula.edu. Applications are reviewed throughout the year. Preferences are given to early applicants.

All students, including Master’s graduates enrolling in the Professional Doctorate Completion program, must meet the admissions requirements at the time of their official matriculation. Professional Doctorate admissions criteria include satisfactory completion of at least three years (90-semester credits/135 quarter credits) undergraduate level education from an institution accredited or pre-accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education.

There are 3 routes to complete the DATM Professional Doctorate Degree Program at DULA:

Enrolling as a New Student to DATM Program

This institution offers a dual degree master’s and DATM, upon completing your admission requirements for both master’s and Doctorate programs, you enroll in both programs in the beginning. You will have signed an enrollment agreement for the master’s program and an enrollment agreement for the Doctorate program. For students who intend to earn their master’s prior to, or together with, the Doctorate, the program will execute separate enrollment agreements for each degree program simultaneously at the date of initial enrollment.

Transferring into the DATM Program

Transfer credits may be approved for individual courses when a student has previously completed academic coursework at an accredited institution recognized by the Department of Education that meets the same course outcomes as the equivalent Dongguk University Los Angeles course. Transfer credit is based on academic equivalency between courses that are less than five years old.

Students may apply for transfer credit and/or course exemption as part of their master’s degree or doctoral degree. The maximum number of credits for which course exemptions and transfers may be granted is 50% of the total credits in the master’s and the Professional Doctor programs. Of that 50%, no more than 25% of the program clinical training requirements may be accepted as transfer or exemption credit. No more than 33% of the total credits in a post-master’s doctoral degree program may be transferred or exempted.

Enrolling as DATM Completion Track Program

The applicant may complete a MSOM program and then enroll in a DATM Professional Doctorate completion track. The doctoral completion track requires 340 total hours, consisting of 300 hours or 30 quarter units of didactic instruction plus 40 hours or 2 quarter units of clinic instruction.

The DATM Completion program is designed to be completed by an individual who graduated from an ACAOM accredited/pre-accredited master’s level program. This doctoral completion track allows masters graduates to achieve doctorate competencies and earn the DATM degree. The DATM completion track for graduates of an ACAOM accredited master’s program is a component of the overall professional doctorate, not a separate, distinct program. Students who enter this track complete the remaining doctoral program requirements not included in their master’s level training.

DULA does not accept non-matriculated students into the DATM Completion Program.

For more information about the three routes for completion of the DATM Professional Doctorate program at DULA, please read our program catalog, or inquire to our admissions office at +1 (213) 487-0110 or email to admissions@dula.edu

The DATM program is offered only in English.

English language competency is required of all students seeking admission to the program. This must be demonstrated by one of the following means:

The following items are required to be considered for admission:

1. A complete online or paper application in English along with the non-refundable application fee. (U.S. citizens/residents: $100; international students: $200).
2. Provide Official Transcript(s) from all colleges and/or universities attended. All official transcripts must be sealed and sent directly from the issuing institutions to the office of admissions at DULA. Students who graduated from colleges or universities outside of the U. S. must submit a comprehensive course-by-course evaluation through the academic credential evaluation service that is a member of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services). For more information about NACES, please refer to the website http://www.naces.org/ to select one of the listed institutions and apply for the course-by-course service. Evaluation must include degree equivalency.
3. If the transcripts are from a country where English is not the primary language, they must be translated into English and must be sent to a reputable foreign credential evaluation agency to evaluate equivalent levels of educational achievement in the U.S.
4. A copy or copies of diploma(s) from colleges and higher-education institutions.
5. Two recommendation letters. The letters may be in English, Korean, or Chinese. The letters of recommendation should include information about the applicant’s strengths and character traits.
6. One-page typed personal essay in English addressing the following three questions:
   • Why do you wish to attend Dongguk University Los Angeles?
   • What are your interests and/or philosophical views of oriental medicine?
   • What are your strengths and skills that would make you a good healthcare practitioner?
7. One recent 2”x2” color headshot photos.
8. Proof of residency (a copy of passport, birth certificate, permanent residency card, or any other documents that show the applicant’s legal status in the U.S.
9. An interview with a member of the Admissions Committee.

Please contact admissions staff for any questions or additional information regarding the application process (DULA Admissions Department at (213) 487-0110 or send an email to admissions@dula.edu).

DULA is authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue a I-20 and enroll non-immigrant international students into the Master’s Program only.