Why NESA


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"Attending NESA has been a blessing. It's been an honor to participate in the lineage established in the United States by Dr. So."

Eileen Dube,
MAc '09, MS in Pain Management, Education and Policy, 2009

History

The New England School of Acupuncture was the first acupuncture school in the United States and remains one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the field.

Originally founded in 1975 by Dr. James Tin Yau So and later licensed as a vocational school by the Massachusetts Department of Education in 1976, NESA’s three-year program now culminates in a Master’s degree.

  • 1975: NESA is founded by Dr. So and students
  • 1979: Program expands to two years
  • 1980: NESA incorporates as a not-for-profit corporation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • 1982: NESA becomes member of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM)
  • 1986: Program expands to three years
  • 1988: NESA is accredited by the forerunner of today's Accredidation Commision for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
  • 1994: The Higher Education Coordinating Council authorizes NESA to grant a Master of Acupuncture Degree (MAc)
  • 1995: NESA offers students the choice between a MAc or diploma program; NESA expands to offer day sections of classes; NESA establishes affiliations with satellite clinics and begins sending interns to several sites as part of their clinical internships
  • 1996: NESA graduates its first MAc class
  • 2000: NESA is authorized to grant the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAOM) degree; NESA establishes a research department
  • 2001: NESA graduates its first MAOM students
  • 2003: The California Acupuncture Board recognizes NESA’s MAOM program, allowing NESA graduates to sit for California state board exams
  • 2006: A groundbreaking collaborative agreement is reached with Tufts University School of Medicine allowing students to simultaneously complete the acupuncture program at NESA and the master’s program in pain management from Tufts; NESA relocates to its custom-built facility in Newton, MA
  • 2008: NESA is reaccredited by ACAOM for the seven-year maximum; the NESA clinic relocates to same building as the school
  • 2009: The first group of NESA graduates earn their master's degrees in pain management, education and policy from Tufts University School of Medicine;  NESA receives a $1m grant from the Department of Defense for a clinical trial studying the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating Gulf War Illness; NESA launches its Sports Medicine Acupuncture® Certification Program

Long a leader in the field, NESA has been the first or among the first to:

  • Offer multiple master's degree programs
  • Afford students the opportunity to intern at satellite clinics serving various demographics
  • Allow students to complete assistantship hours outside of the main NESA clinic under practitioners with a wide range of specialties
  • Offer a research department where students can develop their own projects
  • Give students the flexibility to choose between four degree-granting tracks