Admissions Procedure
Applications are reviewed and accepted on an ongoing basis with preference given to early applications. Applications must be received at least a month before the start date of the DAOM program to allow time for processing. Applications received first will be reviewed first and given priority. Once all required documents are received a interview will be scheduled with the admissions committee. Within one week of the candidate interview notification regarding the admissions committee decision will be sent to you in writing. If accepted, an enrollment deposit of $1500 (of which $100 is non-refundable) will be requested to secure your space. This deposit will be applied toward tuition.

Standard Admissions
Standard Admissions applies to applicants who have a Master’s degree (or Master’s level diploma) from an ACAOM accredited or candidate program in TCM or Oriental medicine of at least 2800 hours. Special Admissions refers to the following:
-Applicants who hold a Master’s degree (or Master’s level diploma) from an ACAOM accredited TCM or Oriental medicine program of less than 2800 hours
-Applicants who do not meet the criteria for standard admissions as outlined below.

Applicants with a Master’s degree in TCM or Oriental medicine from an ACAOM accredited or candidate institution can be considered for admissions to the DAOM program after submitting the application form and accompanying documents.

Special Admissions
Applicants with a Master's degree (or Master's level diploma) in TCM or Oriental medicine of less than 2800 hours must demonstrate experience equivalency. A deficiency in education hours may be remedied by documented clinical experience. Applicants in this category will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee who will consider formal education hours, clinical experience and contributions to the field. The review will determine the level of knowledge in biomedicine, which may require a passing a challenge examination or taking the Introductory Biomedicine Course. Applicants who fall under the Special Admissions category will be required to take the Introductory Biomedicine Course to complete educational requirements for the DAOM program.

Required Documentation
All application packets for admission to the DAOM must include the following:
-A completed application form
-A 500-word essay about themselves and why they wish to attend the YSU DAOM program.
-A professional resume citing education where and when: work experience where and when, any research participation or publication and anything else of significance
-Proof of professional license and malpractice insurance
-Official educational transcript from each College or University attended requiring a 3.0 grade point average
-Three letters of professional or academic recommendation (able to judge ones ability to complete doctoral work)
-Passport sized photo
-Application fee

Admission of International Students
International students include foreign applicants and applicants who studied TCM, Oriental medicine, or acupuncture outside the US. International students must meet the same admissions requirements and educational criteria as domestic students. In addition to the above application checklist, international students must submit the following documents:
-Must demonstrate English language proficiency through writing samples and interviews. Those with English as a second language will be required to submit TOFEL score of 600 or TSE score of 50 or proof of completion of 2 years of undergraduate course work from an accredited college in the USA.
-Photocopies of I-94, I-20, US visa page on passport and first page of passport.
-Completed Transfer Release Form verifying their maintenance of visa status and eligibility for transfer. Forms are available upon request from the admissions office.

Transfer Credit
A transfer credit request must be submitted, complete with all official documents and appropriate fees, during the first semester of attendance, (See current Tuition/ Fee Schedule). Course work taken at another accredited institution before admission to YSU may be presented for evaluation for transfer credit. Presentation is by petition, accompanied by the required fees. Credit for courses within the YSU curriculum may be granted for equivalent courses taken at an ACAOM or regionally accredited institution. Courses must have been taken within 10 years prior to admission to YSU and must be equivalent in hours and content to the course offered at YSU. Concurrent enrollment may only be undertaken for transfer credit only after counseling and prior written approval of the Doctoral Director Program. Any YSU student who wishes to transfer a course completed more than 10 years prior to admission may petition to take a proficiency examination (which is equivalent to the final exam for the course) and if successfully passed with a score of 75% or higher, allowance will be made for transfer credit. 100 percent of biomedical science can be transferred if completed at an institution accredited by ACAOM or a regionally accredited institution. Additional criteria for acceptance of transfer credit follows:
- Transfer credits cannot be a part of any Master degree program
- Transfer credits come from coursework at an accredited institution, CEU’s may not be used
- Transfer credit cannot exceed the credit equivalent of 200 clock hours, and differential credit determinations will be made between didactic and clinical hours and the number of equivalent semester credit hours to be transferred.
Course work taken at another institution after admission to Yo San University is not transferable unless approved in writing and in advance of that course work by the Dean of Academic Affairs.
Transcripts from Foreign countries must be translated into English and evaluated by a recognized credentials evaluation service. For a list of companies that provide this service, please contact the Academic Administration.
Transfer credit may be granted from a foreign institution that has approval or accreditation comparable to regionally accreditation in the U. S. and provided the courses are documented by official transcripts. Transfer courses must be comparable to courses offered at Yo San University. A student must have earned a passing grade of “C” or better for any course to be considered for transfer credit.
All decisions regarding credit transfers are made by the Doctoral Program Director.

Non-Matriculating Students
The admissions procedure and entrance requirements for non-matriculating applicants are the same as for degree-seeking applicants. Non-matriculating students may request change of status to become degree-seeking students at a later date.

Part-time Students
Students who cannot commit to the full-time DAOM program and plan on completing the program in more than 2 years are considered part-time students. They must complete the program within 4 years and meet with the Program Coordinator to plan their program of study.

Admission Deadlines
Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling basis and as soon as possible after all required admissions documents have been submitted.

Course Schedule
Didactic and clinical sessions are conducted one long weekend per month for each of the 24 months of the two year program. Students are expected to be in session on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm of the designated residency weekends.