Diploma in Chinese Acupuncture
Train at weekends to practise the complete system of Traditional Chinese acupuncture — diagnosis, point selection and needling — with real patient experience from your very first module.
- Award
- Diploma of Chinese Acupuncture
- Membership
- ATCM eligibility on graduation
- Format
- Part-time · one weekend a month
- 2026 entry
- Two routes, one qualification
A complete medical system, not a single tool
Dry needling is now widely taught to physiotherapists, osteopaths and sports therapists. It is useful — but it is not acupuncture. This Diploma is for practitioners who want the whole framework behind the needle.
One purpose
Acupuncture needles used to release local muscle trigger points, grounded in Western musculoskeletal anatomy. The goal is pain relief at the point of insertion.
A full diagnostic system
A complete diagnostic and therapeutic framework — pattern differentiation, pulse and tongue, and a physiology of Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Zang-Fu and Meridians — applied across pain, internal medicine, mental health, gynaecology and more.
One Diploma, two starting points
Choose the route that matches your background. Both lead to the same qualification, the same right to practise, and the same ATCM eligibility.
Standard pathway
- Best for career changers and those new to healthcare
- Entry a first degree in any subject
- Starts 10 October 2026
- Includes a biomedical bridge before the TCM core
Healthcare APL pathway
- Best for physios, osteopaths, nurses, GPs, sports therapists
- Entry Level 3+ Anatomy & Physiology, or UK healthcare registration
- Starts 6 March 2027
- Skips the biomedicine bridge — straight into TCM
Both routes share one classroom from the second module onward.
Places are limited — and shared
Each cohort takes just 15–20 students, and Standard and APL students learn side by side from M2. That means the number of APL places depends on how many seats remain once the Standard intake fills. APL teaching doesn't begin until March 2027 — but seats are confirmed in order of registration, so the surest way to hold your place is to register now rather than wait for the start date.
Six modules, two routes through them
Standard students take all six modules; Healthcare APL students take five, with the biomedicine bridge exempted. Both routes share the same TCM core. The full syllabus and learning outcomes are shared with applicants.
Biomedicine
The anatomy & physiology bridge — your grounding for safe, informed practice.
Foundation of TCM
Where the two routes meet, and you begin to think as a TCM practitioner.
Points & Needling
The practical heart — point location and confident, safe needling technique.
Clinical Application
Bringing diagnosis and treatment together for the conditions you'll really see.
Supervised Student Clinic
You lead treatments with real patients, under direct supervision.
Professional Development
The business, ethics and research literacy to run your own UK practice.
M5 and M6 run in parallel — you build the business plan for your own practice while treating patients in supervised clinic.
Designed around working people
Career changers
- You hold a first degree in any subject
- You're moving into healthcare and want the full grounding
- You want everything from biomedicine through to clinical TCM practice
Registered healthcare professionals
- You already hold a Level 3+ A&P qualification or UK registration
- You may use dry needling and want a proper TCM diagnostic framework
- You want to add acupuncture to an existing clinical practice
Clinical experience is built in — not bolted on
You begin observing live consultations and treatments at our Manchester teaching clinic in your very first module. By the final stage you lead treatments yourself, under direct supervision — consulting, diagnosing, needling and reviewing outcomes with real patients. Students living further from Manchester may apply for part of their supervised hours to be completed at an MATCM-approved satellite clinic, considered case by case.
See MATCM for yourself
Two easy ways to meet our teachers and students, and feel what the training is really like — before you apply.
Book a real acupuncture treatment at our supervised student clinic, talk to current students about the course, and see the teaching environment first-hand.
Book a clinic visit →GZUTCM Clinical Immersion, Guiyang
A 14-day clinical programme at Guizhou University of TCM — hospital-based bedside teaching, classical theory, and rare access to Miao ethnic medicine. It draws on MATCM's standing partnerships with leading Chinese TCM universities, including Beijing, Chengdu and Guizhou Universities of TCM.
Explore the immersion →Accredited, insured, ready to practise
TCMAB-accredited
The Diploma is accredited by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Accreditation Board, audited against recognised international TCM education standards.
Verify our accreditation →ATCM membership
On graduation you are eligible to join the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture UK — one of the largest self-regulatory bodies for TCM in the country.
Insured to practise
Graduates receive block professional indemnity insurance covering acupuncture practice in the UK — and your final module builds the business plan you launch with.
Clear fees, paid as you study
All fees include teaching, e-learning, assessment and clinic access. A 0% quarterly instalment plan is available on both routes, at no extra cost.
Healthcare APL · 2 years
| Registration (one-off) | £300 |
| Year 1 tuition (M2 + M3) | £2,980 |
| Year 2 tuition (M4 + M5 + M6) | £3,980 |
| Tuition subtotal | £6,960 |
| Total, including registration | £7,260 |
Standard · 3 years
| Registration (one-off) | £300 |
| Biomedicine bridge (M1) | £1,990 |
| Year 1 + Year 2 tuition | £6,960 |
| Final extension half-year | £1,990 |
| Tuition subtotal | £10,940 |
| Total, including registration | £11,240 |
Fees are fixed for the duration of an accepted offer and do not rise during your course. Not included: textbooks (approx. £100–200), travel, and the £60 satellite clinic inspection fee where used.
Good to know before you enquire
Can I keep my full-time job?
Yes — most of our students do. Teaching is at weekends, e-learning is asynchronous, and self-study fits around your week.
I already do dry needling — does that exempt me from anything?
No. APL exemption is based on biomedical foundations (Anatomy & Physiology), not needling technique. Dry needling experience makes the TCM modules especially rewarding, since that's where the diagnostic framework is built.
Is acupuncture regulated in the UK?
Acupuncture is currently under voluntary self-regulation through bodies such as ATCM. Membership shows you meet recognised education and conduct standards. Most local councils also require registration under skin-piercing legislation, which your professional body will guide you on.
Can international and EU students apply?
Yes. The course is part-time and weekend-based. EU/EEA students with settled or pre-settled status apply on the same basis as UK students; other international applicants should speak with admissions first about the right visa route.
What if I'm nervous about needles?
Very common, and completely normal. Practical sessions are graduated — you learn point location on yourself and willing classmates over many months before treating patients. Mild anxiety usually fades quickly with practice.
Can I visit before applying?
We strongly recommend it. Book an £18 treatment at our student clinic, attend an Open Day, or arrange a quick Google Meet — the enquiry form lets you book a chat directly.
Ready to begin?
Send a quick enquiry and book a no-pressure chat with us over Google Meet. We'll talk through which route fits you and answer anything the prospectus didn't.
Prefer email? info@matcm.co.uk