Texas Health and Science University
 THSU logo | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1990 |
| President | Lisa Ping-Hui Tsao Lin, L.Ac., E.M.B.A. |
| Vice-president | David G. Vequist IV, Ph.D |
| Dean | Maoyi Cai, M.D., Dipl.O.M. |
| Students | 80–120 |
| Postgraduates | 90 |
| Location |
Austin, Texas, United States 30°14′03″N 97°47′08″W / 30.234154°N 97.785494°WCoordinates: 30°14′03″N 97°47′08″W / 30.234154°N 97.785494°W |
| Campus | Austin, Texas |
| Colors | Brown and Green |
| Nickname | THSU |
| Website | http://www.thsu.edu |
Texas Health and Science University (informally known as THSU), is a private university located in Austin, Texas, that offers graduate degrees in business, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.
History
Founding
The Texas Health and Science University was founded in 1990 by Lisa Ping-Hui Tsao Lin and her husband Paul Lin as the Texas Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine.[1][2][3] It was the first acupuncture college in the State of Texas. The school became a candidate for accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in 1994, and has remained continuously accredited since 1996. The Texas Health and Science University was the first school in Texas approved by the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners to provide instruction in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In 1993, Paul Lin published an English translation of the ancient text The Essentials by Zhang Zhongjing: Professional Guide to Traditional Chinese Internal Medicine.[4][5] In the same year, Lisa Ping-Hui Tsao Lin was appointed by then-Governor Ann Richards to Chair the first Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners’ Education Committee.[4]
Expansion
In 1997, the school was granted authority by the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners to award the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree and changed its name to Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The school's program was reaccredited in 2000.[3][4] In April 2005, the College was granted a Certificate of Authority by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to award the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree with a major in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In April 2011, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board granted a Certificate of Authority to Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine to award the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree with a major in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the Bachelor of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Additionally, Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine formed a sister-school relationship with the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University to be the first institution in the United States to offer a Dual Degree program. The University has sister school relationships with eight institutions in Taiwan and China including: Xinjiang Medical University in China (since 2007); Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan (since 2010); Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in China (since 2010); TransWorld University in Taiwan (since 2011); Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine International Education College (since 2011); Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China (since 2012); Ming Chuan University in Taiwan (since 2013); the Meiho Institute of Technology (renamed Meiho University in 2010) in Taiwan (since 2003) and the National Penghu University of Science and Technology (since 2013). The school was awarded two consecutive "Best of the West" prizes by the TCM World Foundation, in 2000 and 2002.[3]
Name change
In the start of 2010 the Texas Health and Science University celebrated its 20th anniversary under the leadership of Lisa and Paul Lin, and expanded its degree offerings. In December 2012, the university received an initial grant of accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), the first acupuncture school to be accredited by this 100-year-old accreditor. Then, in January 2013 the institution changed its name to Texas Health and Science University. These changes reflect the broadened mission of the University, which allows for additional programs, such as the new Master of Business Administration and the Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management programs.
Campus
Texas Health and Science University is located in a tree-filled area, minutes south from downtown Austin. The main campus is located on one of the city’s major bus routes and is housed in a two-story building facing Manchaca Road. The courtyard is lavishly decorated with a 4-tier travertine fountain and marble statuary representing the four seasons. This area acts as the main hub of the school through which all students pass on their way to classes. There are two student computer labs and high speed wireless internet service is available for student use throughout the campus.
General Shu-Ping Tsao Library
Housed on the first floor of the main campus building, the General Shu-Ping Tsao library contains more than 5300 volumes including a Chinese language collection with over 900 titles. The English language collection focuses on medical, scientific and business subjects which support the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the Business Science programs. Prominent subjects include: oriental medicine, acupuncture, herbology, Taoism, biomedicine, psychology, western medicine and business sciences. The research resources include dozens of print journals and several electronic databases. The General Shu-Ping Tsao Library is a member of the National Libraries of Medicine and shares resources with other member libraries as well as with the J.E. and L.E. Maybee Library at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
Student Intern Clinic
The THSU operates a 6,300-square-foot health clinic with fifteen treatment rooms, an intern discussion room, a bookstore and an herbal dispensary stocked with over 500 kinds of raw herbs, patent pills and granular extracts from the traditional Chinese medicine herbal pharmacopoeia. The THSU Student Intern Clinic shares its facility with Austin Acupuncture Clinic (AAC), a professional acupuncture services clinic near the THSU campus. THSU offers its students in the Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Program internship experience in providing acupuncture treatments and receiving treatments through its student intern clinic.
Affiliations
The University is a member of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), headquartered in Baltimore, MD. It is also an institutional member of the Texas Association of Acupuncturists (TAOA). Texas Health and Science University has cooperative arrangements with several sister schools in Asia.
Academics
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has three programs of study and offers three degrees. The University offers a Bachelor of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine degree. The bachelor's degree program allows students who have completed the general education requirements at another institution to attain a bachelor's degree while completing their master's degree.
Texas Health and Science University offers as its main program of study the Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree. Students wishing to practice acupuncture must hold a master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine.
The newest degree offering at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program. The purpose of this program is to provide licensed acupuncturists with diverse opportunities for advanced classroom and clinic study and research in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The program of study focuses on advanced clinical specialties, integration and collaboration in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and Western Biomedical knowledge, modalities, and skills, and the development of leaders for the profession of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The DAOM program is set to launch in the near future.
Dual Degree Program
The Texas Health and Science University also offers a Dual Degree Program in which students may study both for a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the Master of Acupuncture and Tui Na from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. The Texas Health and Science University was selected by Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZJCMU) in China as their partner school in the spring of 2011 principally because curriculum of the Texas Health and Science University is very similar to the Traditional Chinese Medicine curriculum taught in China. Students who have graduated from THSU and passed the acupuncture certification and licensure board exams may travel to China to defend their thesis and to complete a one-month internship at the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Hospital. Successful students will receive a Master of Acupuncture and Tui Na degree from Zhejiang.
Continuing Education
The Continuing Acupuncture Education programs at THSU have been approved as Professional Development Activity (PDA) points for NCCAOM recertification and as CAE approved courses for relicensure by the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners. Each CAE weekend at THSU provides all courses required for relicensure for one year.
College of Business Sciences
In response to a growing demand for business-related classes from graduates of the oriental medicine programs, in 2013 the University established the College of Business Sciences. This college offers two graduate-level business degrees: a general MBA and an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management. The goal of these programs is to broaden the business acumen of graduates of the university; many entering private practice as acupuncturists or taking positions as directors of established acupuncture clinics or other medical offices. The academic content of these programs is broad in nature and not directly related to the practice of oriental medicine under the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
English as a Second Language
ESL Achieve TOEFL, the intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Texas Health and Science University, is a stand-alone resident certificate program, which awards a Certificate of Completion rather than semester credit hours. The classroom curriculum is flexible to accommodate the varied learning styles and pace of each student admitted to the program, while meeting the demands of all of students in the program.
Students
Student body
The Texas Health and Science University student body is diverse, international, and multi-ethnic, with a variety of ages and cultures represented among the student population. One-fifth of the student population speaks and reads Chinese Mandarin as well as English. Some of the students have earned previous college degrees; have prior medical experience; and have practiced a variety of other professions.
Student Association
The SA plans and coordinates community service events, hosts guest seminars, manages the student break room, and serves as a liaison between the student body and the THSU administrative staff. The SA also coordinates the events of the student organizations, which include the Golden Chamber Society (gardening), the Qi Gong Club (exercise), and the Calligraphy Club (art), as well as special holiday pot luck feasts. The SA is open to for all students to participate.
Traditions
The Texas Health and Science University annually celebrates the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day, the Fall Moon Festival, the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Winter Chinese Lunar New Year Festival, the Christmas Holiday, and the Solar New Year.
Alumni
Over four hundred students have graduated from the Texas Health and Science University since the first graduation in 1992. THSU holds up to three graduations a year at the conclusion of each trimester. The THSU alumni are employed and self-employed in a variety of medical and healthcare professions, but are especially represented in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
References
- ↑ "Best of the West". TCM Schools.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ↑ "History". Texas Health and Science University. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- 1 2 3 "Administration". Texas Health and Science University.
- 1 2 3 "About Us". Texas Health and Science University.
- ↑ "Texas Health and Science University". Acupuncture Today. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-19.