
Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine was founded in 1983 in Santa Monica, California, to educate practitioners of acupuncture and traditional East Asian medicine. Its development has centered on graduate-level professional education rather than a broad range of undergraduate majors.
The institution's name reflects terminology long used in acupuncture education. Prospective students comparing older records with current program descriptions should check the credential named on each document: degree titles and professional terminology have changed across the field, and an older program name does not necessarily describe the curriculum offered to a new applicant.
Emperor's College is a specialized health-professions institution, not a university organized into numerous colleges or undergraduate departments. Its academic focus is acupuncture and East Asian medicine, including coursework associated with Chinese herbal medicine and supervised clinical training.
The college has offered master's- and doctoral-level education in this field. Applicants should compare the current catalog's exact degree titles, curriculum, clinical-hour requirements, and intended professional outcomes. In particular, a professional doctorate designed as an entry route into practice serves a different purpose from advanced doctoral study for already-qualified practitioners. Neither should be mistaken for a bachelor's degree or for a medical degree authorizing someone to practice as a physician.
Emperor's College is located in Santa Monica, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Its Wilshire Boulevard setting is an urban, professional-school environment rather than a residential college campus.
Students considering clinical coursework should account for travel to campus and any assigned training locations, not just classroom commutes. Santa Monica has local bus service and connections to the wider Los Angeles transit network, but the usefulness of a particular route depends on class and clinic hours. Parking arrangements and transportation costs are worth checking before accepting a place, especially for students commuting from elsewhere in the region.
Emperor's College's educational purpose is to prepare students for the study and practice of acupuncture and East Asian medicine. Its specialized curriculum brings together traditional medical concepts, clinical instruction, and material relevant to contemporary professional practice.
That purpose is a statement of institutional direction, not evidence that a particular treatment is effective or that every graduate will obtain a license. Applicants can evaluate how the college puts its educational aims into practice by examining the current catalog, the amount and setting of supervised clinical training, and published information about licensure preparation.
Name of the institution
Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental MedicineLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: SmallInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, graduate with no undergraduate degreesInstitution size category
Under 1,000
Master's degree
Doctor's degree - professional practiceData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.