At Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, Canada, Traditional Chinese Medicine: Bachelor's Degree (BTCM) is offered as a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences programme. The programme runs for 10 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 6,000 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Health Sciences
Duration: 10 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 6,000 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BTCM) is a 10-semester program that provides the academic preparation for students to practice as an Acupuncturist after semester 6, and as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, after semester 10. The BTCM program curriculum has been approved by the regulatory body in BC, the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CTCMA) and the CTCMA Registration Committee as meeting the academic requirements for licensure. This positions BTCM graduates desiring to practice in BC, the ability to apply for licensure and registration upon graduation, subject to meeting other non-academic licensing requirements. A student may complete only the first 6 semesters of the program and graduate with a Diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine – Acupuncture (an existing KPU credential) or continue through the 10 semesters graduating with a BTCM. A graduate with a Diploma in Acupuncture may use all 86 credits of that credential towards their Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This approach allows practicing Acupuncturists to further their education to practice to the full scope of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner by completing the BTCM program.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The Faculty requirement here is KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, set out in the university's own admission requirements. On top of it this programme asks for: completion of a recognised Acupuncture or Traditional Chinese Medicine diploma, or an equivalent. Once you hold a conditional offer, and before admission is confirmed, you must file a Canadian CPR Health Care Provider or Basic Life Support certificate that stays current through the programme; a criminal record check cleared through the Criminal Records Review Program run by BC's Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, dated no more than six months before the programme begins; and an Immunization Record Form covering the vaccinations listed in BC's Practice Education Guidelines. KPU states that students who are not vaccinated may not be able to take up a place, and that immunisations must be kept current for as long as you are in the programme. International applicants have one extra step: they must provide a vulnerable-sector criminal record search from their country of origin. Selection is made by date of qualification rather than by grades. Applicants who have already completed a recognised Acupuncture or TCM diploma, and practising registered acupuncturists, may be given advanced standing. Continuing requires at least C in standard-graded required courses and MAS in mastery-graded ones.
Application Details
Start Date:The University Calendar lists this programme's own start dates as Fall (September); it lists no Spring (January) and Summer (May) start, so those terms are not an entry point for it even though KPU runs them institution-wide. Under the Senate-approved 2026-27 schedule the Fall term runs 8 September to 17 December 2026.
Application Deadline:KPU classifies this as a Limited Intake programme: the number of seats is capped, applications are assessed against one another, and meeting the published minimums does not guarantee admission. The University Calendar lists this programme with Fall (September) as its only start, so only the window below applies to it; KPU's institution-wide Limited Intake timetable also covers terms this programme does not admit into. FALL (SEPTEMBER) INTAKE: applications open on 1 October of the previous year and the Limited Intake deadline is 1 March, so the Fall 2027 window runs 1 October 2026 to 1 March 2027; offers to domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) begin in November and offers to international applicants in late January. Some Limited Intake programmes close early when demand is high, and others extend the deadline when seats remain - the current extension list is at kpu.ca/admission/deadlines-extended. KPU notes that selected Limited Intake programmes may still consider domestic applicants after the term's final application date (1 July for Fall); international applicants get no such latitude, because KPU accepts nothing after those same dates. Applications open at 00:00 and close at 23:59 Pacific time. Both applicant types apply through EducationPlannerBC at apply.educationplannerbc.ca/kpu; the non-refundable application fee is CAD 40 for domestic applicants and CAD 120 for international applicants, and the confirmation deposit for a Limited Intake offer is CAD 500 domestic or CAD 5,000 international.
