Chiropractic
Education
Chiropractic colleges require a minimum of
four academic years of professional resident study (not less than 4,200 clock
hours), including clinical experience under strict supervision, preceded
by a minimum of two years of college work with a curriculum concentrated
in the biological and basic sciences, and clinical disciplines. The remaining
two years emphasize practical or clinical studies dealing with the diagnosis
and treatment of disease with approximately half the time spent in college
clinics.
 Purpose
The purpose of the curriculum is to give a student a thorough understanding
of the structure and function of the human organism in health and disease.
A well-balanced presentation gives the student an understanding of the essential
features of the life processes: digestion, excretion, physical and mental
growth, nutrition, metabolism, energy, nervous control, the significance
of development defects, behavior, and other elements fundamental to the
understanding of pathological conditions. An understanding of structure and
function makes it possible for students to identify deviations from the normal
and provides the essential facts required later for the diagnosis, prognosis,
and treatment of disease.
A minimum of four academic years of study at a chiropractic college, including
practice in a teaching clinic, is required for the doctor of chiropractic
degree.
In the teaching clinics of the colleges, the
advanced student obtains experience in diagnosis, treatment or referral,
that represents the culmination of the academic learning experience and the
transition from student to chiropractic physician.
Offerings
The offerings include the following disciplines:
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Human anatomy: myology, osteology, arthrology, histology, angiology,
genesiology, splanchnology;
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Neurology: central nervous system and peripheral nervous system;
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Embryology;
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Special senses;
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Human dissection and topographical anatomy;
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Biochemistry;
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Physiology: cellular physiology, general physiology, cardiovascular
physiology, endocrine physiology, neurophysiology, digestion and nutritional
physiology, renal and pulmonary physiology;
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Pathology: microbiology, general pathology, hematology, public health
and sanitation, neuromusculoskeletal pathology cardiovascular pathology,
gastrointestinal and urogenital pathology;
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Laboratory procedures;
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Roentgenology: physics, positioning and diagnosis;
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Diagnosis: roentgenological, physical, regional, neuromusculoskeletal
diagnosis;
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Clinical human behavior;
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Obstetrics and gynecology;
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Pediatrics and febrile disorders;
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Geriatrics and cardiovascular disorders;
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Toxicology;
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Dermatology;
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Otolaryngology;
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Psychology;
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Dietetics;
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Orthopedics;
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Physical therapy;
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First aid and emergency procedures;
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Spinal analyses;
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Principles and practice of chiropractic: manipulation, mobilization, manual
therapy, adjustive techniques and clinic.
Such courses are taught in sufficient depth to fulfill the concept of
the chiropractic physician as set forth within the Educational Standards
of the Council on Chiropractic Education.
The above standards of the CCE have been adopted by the Federation of
Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB). The FCLB has recommended to the various
state licensing boards that a rule of law be adopted, either by statute or
by administrative regulation, wherein it will be provided as follows:
"All applicants for licensure who matriculate in a chiropractic college
after October 1, 1975, must present evidence of having graduated from a
chiropractic college having status with the Commission on Accreditation of
the Council on Chiropractic Education, or its successor, or from a chiropractic
college which meets equivalent standards thereof."
Council on Chiropractic
Education
The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) and its Commission on
Accreditation is recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department
of Education as an authority on the quality of training offered by chiropractic
colleges.
The purpose of the CCE, as a reputable national organization can be briefly
stated as: (1) advocating high standards of quality in chiropractic education;
(2) establishing criteria of institutional excellence for educating primary
health care chiropractic physicians; (3) inspecting and accrediting colleges
through its Commission on Accreditation; and (4) publishing lists of those
institutions which conform to its standards and policies.
Certain requirements must be met before a chiropractic college is considered
for evaluation. First, requirements for a standard basic curriculum must
be met. Second, prescriptions are met by CCE for faculty qualifications,
faculty-student ratios, library holdings, and physical governance,
administration, and financial stability. Third, a student entrance requirement
of a minimum of two years of college work with a prescribed science content
must be maintained.
The CCE is also recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary
Accreditation (CORPA), formerly the Council on Postsecondary Education (COPA),
for programs leading to the doctor of chiropractic degree. CORPA, a private,
non-profit educational association evaluates and recognizes responsible
accrediting agencies in the United States.
In addition, CCE is a member of the Council of Specialized Accrediting
Agencies (CSAA), and autonomous, nongovernmental accreditation agency. CSAA
fosters the maintenance of high standards within the spectrum of postsecondary
education.
As of January 1994, the colleges listed below had achieved accredited
status with the CCE. Most colleges have achieved accreditation with regional
accrediting agencies as well.
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Cleveland Chiropractic College
6401 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64131
816-333-8230
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Cleveland Chiropractic College of Cleveland University-Los Angeles
590 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004
213-660-6166
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Life Chiropractic College
1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta, GA 30060
404-424-0554
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Life Chiropractic College-West
2005 Via Barrett, P.O. Box 367, San Lorenzo, CA 94580
510-276-9013
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Logan College of Chiropractic
1851 Schoettler Road, P.O. Box 1065, Chesterfield, MO 63006-1065
314-227-2100
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Los Angeles College of Chiropractic
16200 E. Amber Valley Drive, Whittier, CA 90604
310-947-8755
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National College of Chiropractic
200 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, IL 60148
708-629-2000
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New York Chiropractic College
P.O. Box 800, Seneca Falls, NY 13148-0800
315-568-3100
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Northwestern College of Chiropractic
2501 West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN 55431
612-888-4777
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Palmer College of Chiropractic
1000 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803
319-326-9600
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Palmer College of Chiropractic-West
90 East Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134
408-944-6000
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Parker College of Chiropractic
2500 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX 75229
214-438-6932
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Texas Chiropractic College
5912 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505
713-487-1170
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University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic
Bridgeport, CT 06601
203-576-4279
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Westem States Chiropractic College
2900 NE 132nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97230
503-256-3180
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Anglo-European College of Chiropractic
13/15 Parkwood Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH5 2DF, England
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Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College**
1900 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 3E6
416-482-2340
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Macquarie University, Chiropractic Program**
P.O. Box 178, Summerhill, N.S.W., 2130 Australia
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Royal Melbourne Institute Technology Chiropractic Program*
Plenty Road, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
*Status is under a reciprocal agreement with ACCOE
**Status is under a reciprocal agreement with CCE Canada
Institutional
Recognitions
Chiropractic colleges are recognized throughout
the nation at both the federal and state levels. On the federal level, the
U.S. Department of Education recognizes those colleges having status with
the CCE. Certified chiropractic colleges are eligible for guaranteed student
loans, NDSL, student workstudy programs, Interest Assistance Programs, and
HEAL loans (Health Education Assistance Loans). Chiropractic is listed in
the Occupational Handbook of the U.S. Department of Labor. Chiropractic
colleges are eligible for loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. In addition, the Veterans' Administration recognizes chiropractic
institutions as institutions of higher education, and student visas for
chiropractic students are granted by the U.S. Department of Immigration and
Naturalization.
On the national level, a substantial number of accredited colleges in
various states include a pre-chiropractic curriculum in their catalogs, and
it is not an uncommon instance to witness the transfer of credit into regionally
accredited institutions from chiropractic colleges. By early 1976, several
chiropractic colleges had established cooperative programs with regionally
accredited institutions of higher education. Many if not most of the chiropractic
colleges have achieved accreditation at the regional level by agencies that
accredit other colleges and universities. This recognition is in addition
to the accreditation conferred by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).
Both the regional accrediting agencies and the CCE are recognized by the
U.S. Office of Education.
Pre-Chiropractic College
All candidates must furnish proof of having acquired two years of 60 acceptable
hours leading to a baccalaureate degree in the arts and sciences. The
pre-professional education which has been acquired must have an average of
2.25 on a 4.0 scale, with no less than a "C" grade in courses with laboratory
in biology, chemistry, and physics. No more than 20 semester hours of a
candidate's pre-professional education (in courses other than the natural,
biological and physical sciences) can have been acquired through CLEP exam
or through challenging courses. Matriculants must present a minimum of:
English or Communicative Skills - 1 Academic Year (not less than 6 semester
hours)
Psychology - 1/2 Academic Year (not less than 3 semester hours)
Social Sciences or Humanities - 1/2 Academic Year (not less than 3 semester
hours)
Biological Science (with related laboratory) - 1 Academic Year (not less
than 6 semester hours)
General or Inorganic Chemistry (with related laboratory) - 1 Academic Year
(not less than 6 semester hours)
Organic Chemistry (with related laboratory) - 1 Academic Year (not less than
6 semester hours)
Physics (with related laboratory) - 1 Academic Year (not less than 6 semester
hours)
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