History of the NCA
The Early Years: Pioneers from the Beginning
The Northern College of Acupuncture was founded in 1988 and initially led by Hugh MacPherson and Nicholas Haines. Hugh (who sadly passed away in 2020), was the UK’s first professor of acupuncture research, and Nicholas Haines is still a member of Board of Directors. Our past Principal Richard Blackwell joined the teaching team in 1989 and headed the College from 1999 until 2024. The pioneering nature of the College was clear from its earliest days, with the acupuncture course validated as an MSc in 1995, making the NCA the first UK provider of an acupuncture degree. A professional diploma in Chinese herbal medicine was launched in 1994, which was also validated as an MSc ten years later. Once again, this was a first, with our MSc/PGDip in Chinese Herbal Medicine the first of its kind in the UK. Professional accreditation was granted to both the acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine courses, in 1996 and 2003 respectively, highlighting the quality of provision at the NCA. In 2000, the College became a registered charity, in the same year as relocating to our current home on the historic street of Micklegate, in York city centre.
Read more about the life and career of Professor Hugh MacPherson
Acupuncture at the NCA
Over the years acupuncture teaching at the NCA has gone from strength to strength. What began as a professional diploma has developed into a flourishing three-year BSc, with options of full-time or part-time study, and weekend or weekday teaching, with access to student finance available; this range of study options exemplifies the popularity and demand for this course. Such popularity is also seen in our exceptional results from the annual National Student Survey, with 100% overall student satisfaction seen in several years of the survey. Our passion for practitioner development allows our students to develop into exemplary practitioners themselves, who go on to practise all over the world. We are proud that a significant number of graduates also return to teach at the NCA, a testament to the experience we provide for our students on the BSc Acupuncture course.
Chinese herbal medicine at the NCA
Our MSc/PGDip in Chinese Herbal Medicine is the UK's longest and most prestigious Chinese herbal medicine course in the UK. The course, open to TCM qualified acupuncture practitioners, has grown and developed over the years. Our most recent development is to make this a totally online course - including online clinic - extending the reach of this course to students from all over the UK and also for overseas students.
Research at the NCA
Just two years after its inception, the College launched its research wing: the Foundation for Research into Traditional Chinese Medicine. Several decades of cutting-edge research followed, with the NCA collaborating with Sheffield University to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture for back pain, resulting in the UK’s largest piece of acupuncture research at the time. This particular research study also received major funding from the Department of Health. As a result of this, acupuncture is now one of the best evidenced interventions for back pain both in this country and overseas, with the American College of Physicians officially recommending acupuncture. Further collaborations have followed with institutions such as the University of York, investigating the value of acupuncture for a number of conditions, ranging from physical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, to mental health issues such as depression. We have a lively and engaged research community with students, staff and graduates engaging in research in all the subjects we teach. Our most recent development is to showcase our more recent graduates research in a series of presentation videos, giving them the opportunity to present their research to their professions.
Where We Are Today
The College has continues in its pioneering and progressive approach to acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. This approach has allowed for the development of new modes of teaching, the most recent, during the Covid pandemic, being the introduction of online teaching clinics and live online classroom teaching, which allowed our students to continue with their studies. Our e-learning platform was identified as good practice in a review by the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency.
The College has also forged exciting new partnerships with validating universities. Partnerships with our current validating partner the Health Sciences University provide huge potential for collaboration, borne out of our aligning subject areas, and common goal of providing the highest quality education.
At present, the College is continuing to thrive, with on average of roughly 150 registered students at any given point, and numbers growing each year.
Alongside this is a thriving teaching clinics for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Our clinic offers exceptional service to a diverse set of clients, expanded by the opening of a community multi-bed acupuncture clinic, and satellite clinics in Northwich and London.
Whilst the Northern College of Acupuncture has grown and evolved over more than three decades, two things have remained constant. The first is a palpable sense of community amongst both students and staff, creating a supportive, nurturing, yet focused atmosphere for learning and practice. The second is a dedication to the delivery of the highest quality teaching and pioneering research that has characterised the College’s history.
