Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
Canada’s first bachelor’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine will be offered at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) to train people for in-demand careers.
“Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of providing healing and balance, and treatments like acupuncture are a form of care that more people in British Columbia want to access,” said Premier David Eby. “Ensuring professional standards of training will make sure people who access traditional Chinese medicine in British Columbia are protected. We are thrilled to become the first province in Canada to offer a bachelor’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine.”
Currently, KPU is the only public post-secondary institution in B.C. offering a traditional Chinese medicine program through its two-year acupuncture diploma. This new five-year bachelor’s degree program will combine classroom and clinical training, and the first cohort is expected to begin their studies in September 2025.
“Our government is excited to partner with KPU to offer the first degree in traditional Chinese medicine in Canada,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “By training more traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture practitioners through a more extensive program, we’re meeting labour-market demand and providing more holistic health-care choices for people in B.C. while also ensuring the professionalization of practitioners.”
The program covers traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory and practice, philosophy, herbal treatment, advanced acupuncture and the provision of integrated care to complex patients. Students will receive hands-on training at a KPU-managed student clinic where they will develop interviewing and diagnostic skills, recommend and apply treatment plans, practise acupuncture, massage and moxibustion, and learn about the continuity of care and treatment as they follow the progress of their patients.
“B.C.’s population is diverse and people deserve access to diverse care options,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “In our team-based care model, allied health professionals, including TCM practitioners, provide essential assessment and treatment appropriate for their patients’ care needs. By adding a bachelor’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine at KPU, more practitioners can train here, which will be beneficial for people in B.C. and will contribute to greater interdisciplinary understanding amongst the health-care workforce.”
After completion, and once they pass their regulatory exams, graduates will be eligible to practise as a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, offering services in acupuncture, Chinese tuina massage, herbology, nutrition and exercise.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists are identified as a high-opportunity occupation in the 2023-33 Labour Market Outlook with an estimated 570 job openings in the next 10 years.
A backgrounder follows.
