About Northern College of Acupuncture
Welcome to the NCA, a world leader in training acupuncturists, Chinese herbal medicine practitioners and nutritional therapists.
“We aim to be a person-centred, progressive, sustainable community embodying integrity and quality.”
Pioneering
The Northern College of Acupuncture was founded in 1988 by Hugh MacPherson and Nicholas Haines, when we offered our first acupuncture programme. The College is now a registered charity, and we added programmes in Chinese herbal medicine in 1994 and nutritional therapy in 2008, and more recently our home for acupuncture practitioners, The Practitioner Hub, in 2021. We have a strong track record of developing and running programmes leading to both professional and academic qualifications, and we have always been pioneers in the field. We were the first teaching institution of any kind in the UK to offer a University degree in acupuncture (the MSc in Acupuncture with the University of Wales, in 1995), the first to offer a post-graduate degree in Chinese herbal medicine (MSc in Chinese Herbal Medicine with the University of Wales, in 2004), and the first to achieve professional accreditation for our acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and nutritional therapy programmes (in 1996, 2003 and 2010 respectively). Community
The College is a vibrant learning community built around our large team of teachers - practitioners who love their work, inspire our students, and are committed to excellence. Our students come to train with us from all over the UK and beyond, from many different backgrounds and become highly successful practitioners. We place clinical practice at the heart of our work, with students involved in our teaching clinic from the start of their courses, and interactive learning focussed on clinical casework. We are proud of our gradates working around the globe helping their communities with the skills and knowledge they learned at the NCA. Person Centred
The NCA is a small and friendly College – we know our students by name and all our staff are focused on our student’s wellbeing and learning journey. From the first phone call, throughout your time as a student, to becoming a practitioner, you will find the NCA a supportive place to learn. On graduation our acupuncture students can join The Practitioner Hub which is the NCA’s home for acupuncture practitioners offering CPD (online and in person), mentoring and a welcoming community of like-minded practitioners. Sustainable
As an educational charity all our profits go into ensuring the growth, sustainability and longevity of the College and enabling our students to become successful practitioners. Our nutrition, and acupuncture courses are taught by blended learning and our students learn via a blended model of in-person or online classroom teaching, in-person or online clinic, e-learning and home study. This dynamic mix helps our students to continue to fit their studies around their work and other commitments, cut down their travel and costs and study in a more sustainable way. Our Chinese herbal medicine course is mostly taught online. The College and our acupuncture and nutrition teaching clinics are located in the centre of the historic city of York, in a beautiful Georgian building on the historic street of Micklegate a few minutes’ walk from the river. We are a short walk from the railway station which is on the main East Coast railway. Integrity and Quality
Our acupuncture courses, nutrition courses and Chinese herbal medicine courses are designed to meet high standards of excellence and quality. They have a focus not just on acquiring knowledge and learning techniques of practice but also on developing as a practitioner. Our aim is to help our students to become balanced and well-rounded practitioners as well as educating them to a high academic level AND giving them the business skills, they need to succeed as a practitioner and a small business owner. The College is validated by the University College of Osteopathy, reviewed by the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency, and accredited by the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB) for acupuncture, Nutritional Therapy Education Commission (NTEC) for nutrition and European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA) for Chinese Herbal Medicine. Validation and government recognition means that students have access to undergraduate and postgraduate government loans. Progressive
We are continuously looking at ways to help practitioners become better at what they do. In 2023 we are launching a new course– our Diploma in Chinese Medicine Nutrition which is a totally online extended CPD course for acupuncture practitioners who want to learn more about how to support their clients with good nutrition. From the outset the NCA has been research focussed and the College is a community of highly qualified staff and students engaged in research. From learning how to become a research literate practitioner, to conducting MSc Research Projects to support to PhD. The College has contributed to the research work into the effectiveness of acupuncture for low back pain and our founder the late Hugh MacPherson was a global leader in acupuncture research. We hope you will love following our page and finding out more about our vibrant healing community.
