Skip to main content

Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2003

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 - 11:20pm

 

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

TO:

The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents

FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier

COMMITTEE:

Higher and Professional Education

TITLE OF ITEM:

Master Plan Amendment: New York Institute of Chinese Medicine

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

March 31, 2003

PROPOSED HANDLING:

Approval (Consent Agenda)

RATIONALE FOR ITEM:

Regents approval of a master plan is needed when an institution seeks to offer its first degree programs.

STRATEGIC GOAL:

2 and 3

AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY:

New York Institute of Chinese Medicine has requested approval of its master plan in order to offer Health Science/Acupuncture and Health Science/Oriental Medicine programs each leading to the Bachelor of Professional Studies/Master of Science degrees. These would be the Institute's first degree programs within the major disciplinary area of Health Professions. The proposed programs represent an upgrade and replacement of the existing graduate-level diploma programs in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Concurrent with its request for master plan approval, the Institute is requesting amendment of its absolute charter to authorize the awarding of these degrees.

The Office of the Professions has determined that the proposed programs, if approved, would meet the standards for registration set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

Recommendation: I recommend that the Regents take the following action:

VOTED, that the master plan of New York Institute of Chinese Medicine, Mineola, be approved, effective April 29, 2003, to authorize the Institute to offer Health Science/Acupuncture and Health Science/Oriental Medicine programs each leading to the Bachelor of Professional Studies/Master of Science degrees. This amendment will be effective until May 31, 2004, unless the Department registers the programs prior to that date, in which case the master plan amendment shall be without term.

 NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF CHINESE MEDICINE

Approval of first degree programs in the disciplinary area of Health Professions

New York Institute of Chinese Medicine, Mineola, is an independent institution that was established in 1996 and was granted an absolute charter by the Regents in June 2001. The Institute offers graduate-level diploma programs in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine that meet the education requirement for licensure in acupuncture and are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). The Institute has requested registration of Health Science/Acupuncture and Health Science/Oriental Medicine programs each leading to the Bachelor of Professional Studies/Master of Science (B.P.S./M.S.) degrees. The proposed programs represent an upgrade and replacement of the existing programs in response to national trends in the discipline and guidelines from ACAOM.

Program

The proposed eight-trimester Acupuncture program requires 138 credits for completion, including 114 credits of didactic instruction and 24 credits (720 clock hours) of supervised clinical experiences. The Acupuncture program requires 33 undergraduate credits in liberal arts and sciences, 34.3 credits in professional and related undergraduate coursework, and 70.7 graduate credits in professional studies. The proposed eleven-trimester Oriental Medicine program requires 181 credits for completion, including 151 credits of didactic instruction and 30 credits (900 clock hours) of supervised clinical experiences. The Oriental Medicine program requires the same undergraduate coursework as the Acupuncture program and 113.7 graduate credits in professional studies. Each trimester is 15 weeks in length. Clinical training is divided into four sections: observation, 160 hours (5.4 credits), assistantship, 60 hours (2 credits), junior internship, 250 hours (8.5 credits), and senior internship, 250 hours (8.5 credits). Students must pass two comprehensive examinations; one prior to the clinic internship and the other to test their overall knowledge before the degrees are granted. Both programs meet the standards in section 52.16(b) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and exceed ACAOM's standards of 93 semester hours for graduate programs in acupuncture and 123 semester hours in Oriental medicine. In addition to the 60 semester hours in arts and sciences required for admission, the 33 credits in liberal arts and sciences and 34.3 credits in professional and support courses within the upper-division programs meet the 25 percent liberal arts requirement within the 120 semester hours for the B.P.S. degree to be awarded.

Enrollment

Applicants to either program must have completed 60 semester hours in arts and sciences, including 9 semester hours in the biosciences, in an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency by completion of a college program from a U.S. institution (or a university in another country where English is the primary language and instruction was in English), or achievement of a score of 500 on the TOEFL exam (173 on the computerized version), or completion of an English language screening interview.

Students enrolled in the proposed programs are expected to mirror the ethnicity and gender of the Institute's current student body: 64 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 59 percent female, and 70 percent 36 years or older. The Institute anticipates that the geographic origin of the student body for the programs will also closely match that of current students, with the majority coming from Nassau and Queens counties and the remainder from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, Suffolk County, and New Jersey. Likewise, total initial enrollment at the Institute will not significantly change and is projected to be 160, with a gradual increase to 200 within five years.

Faculty

The President and Academic Dean hold traditional Chinese medical degrees awarded in China and the Administrative Dean holds a Ph.D. degree in Linguistics. All are licensed acupuncturists, hold national certification in acupuncture and/or herbology, and teach part time. The six full-time faculty hold traditional Chinese medical degrees, are licensed acupuncturists, and two hold national certification in acupuncture and herbology. The 10 part-time faculty hold graduate credentials that are appropriate for their teaching responsibilities. The Institute expects to hire two additional part-time faculty. The ACAOM accreditation report indicates that one of the strengths of the Institute is the high quality of the faculty.

Facilities

The Institute leases approximately 10,000 square feet of space at its campus that houses administrative and faculty offices, classroom/laboratories, a library, and a clinic. The Institute leases 1,750 square feet for additional clinic space in Manhattan and two days a week conducts a clinic at SUNY Farmingdale's health center.

Planning Review

Department staff reviewed the financial status of the Institute to determine its readiness for degree-granting authority and found that there are no indications of financial distress at this institution. The Institute participates in federal student loan programs.

A canvass was conducted of all institutions in the Long Island Region. Of the institutions that responded, none expressed objections or concerns.