Online Program with One In-Person Weekend in Hamilton, Canada for Eligible Regulated Health Professionals. Please do not register until you read our admissions criteria or contact us as the application fees and Moneris bank fees are non-refundable.
Registration opens on January 4 2027, at 9 a.m. (EDT). There is a special discount tuition fee available to the first 10 registrants. If you receive any discount codes or want to learn about our promotions, please contact us at acupuncture@mcmaster.ca.
This extended fundamental level for eligible regulated health professionals introduces the basic concepts of acupuncture treatment, including the neuroanatomical, evidence-based and basic science approaches to common musculoskeletal conditions. Safety issues and potential complications from acupuncture treatments will be discussed. Topics such as dry needling, trigger point applications and electrical stimulation will be explored. The online lecture format will be used for lectures, as well as for written and practical examinations. There will be one weekend of in-person practical sessions to practice safe needling in small group sessions in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Continuing education credits
There will be self-study components to explore more in-depth the theoretical foundations of acupuncture and to plan for treatment protocols.
- Registrant may claim up to 200 hours of credits for work completed
- Core components consist of 50 hours (ACUP 1A25, 1B25, 1C25) of in-person or online contact through Zoom
- Extra hours of self-study (150 hours) are available for registrants to meet the requirements of their regulatory colleges or boards:
- Module I: ACUP1D25, due the day before the examination and
- Module II: ACUP 1E25, due three months after the examination date
- Physicians from the United States requiring 300 hours of training should contact us before registering, as the regular online program is only up to 200 hours
Archived point anatomy and point location videos will be available to review before practical sessions starting March 1, 2027.
Practical session dates
These six half-day sessions are mandatory to attend in full at the scheduled times. Five half-days will be held in person and one half-day of practical point consolidation will be conducted via Zoom.
Mandatory practical dates
- Fri., April 2, from 5 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. (in-person)
- Sat., April 3, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (in-person)
- Sun., April 4, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (in-person)
- Fri., May 14, from 1 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. (online, via Zoom)
Live lectures are held simultaneously with the in-person program. For the online cohort, lectures are available for review until the day of the exam.
Please save these slots for scheduling issues
- Fri., April 9, from 1 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
- Sat., April 10, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
- Sun., April 11, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
- Fri., May 14, from 5 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
Exam
The exam will be held on May 15, 2026.
- Practical exam through Zoom, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Written exam (online) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuition fees
- Regular tuition fee: $6,250
- Tuition application fees: $1,250 application fee (or $250 per course)
- Early-bird tuition fee: $4,995 (includes the $1,250 in tuition application fees that are non-refundable)
- There is no charge for the examination if taken with the registered cohort on a specified date. Otherwise, the cost is $995 CAD plus a $250 CAD application fee to sit the examination on a different date, or retaking the examination due to failure, absenteeism, illness or injury, etc. Please see our terms and conditions for details.
- 2.5% Moneris non-refundable transactional fee
GENERAL NOTICE: To be accepted into the program, registrants must have a smartphone and an up-to-date computer with a camera and high-speed internet. A program equivalent to Safe-Exam Browser must be successfully added. A staff member will contact you to make sure your computer and phone are in compliance.
Please note that this McMaster Medical Acupuncture Program: An Evidence-based Approach is chaired by Dr. K. Trinh. If you intend to sign up for the Acupuncture Canada Acupuncture Program, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College Acupuncture Program, or the Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program by Dr. Elorriaga, please do not sign up for our program, as the Moneris bank transaction fees and the application fees to our program are non-refundable.
Important Information
Our university has paused the vaccine requirements policy at the moment.
Please note that the tuition fee for the course or courses does not include the costs of the textbook, which can be purchased separately from the instructor through this link. Course content or materials will be provided digitally. Please bring a laptop to access the course content during classes.
Students must successfully pass the written and practical examinations within two years of registering and starting the acupuncture program. Otherwise, students will not be admitted to the examinations unless they have taken a refresher course and completed all the practical session requirements again.
Note: Registrants from the in-person cohort who wish to participate in any of the online components must pay the difference between the full online program fee and the fee they have already paid. Their registration will then be updated to reflect the online status. No switching or changing to the online cohort from the in-person cohort is allowed within 30 days or less from the date of the Fundamental examination.
Students should consider purchasing cancellation insurance through a provider such as Allianz Global Assistance (www.allianz-assistance.ca). We strictly enforce our cancellation policy regardless of the reason for cancellation.
