Prerequisites

• The Council on Chiropractic Education sets the guidelines for practice in the United States. Typically, a four-year undergraduate degree is needed to apply for chiropractic college, although some programs will admit students with as few as 90 credit hours. Of these hours, courses in English, social sciences, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biology, physics and psychology are all required. Students wishing to gain a degree in chiropractic medicine must accumulate no less than 4,200 hours of student/teacher contact, with at least 1,000 of these spent in the clinic. Upon meeting all requirements, a degree is awarded, but licensure must also be obtained for the prospective chiropractor to enter practice. Licensure is awarded by passing four or five examinations, depending on jurisdiction, given by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners in addition to supplementary State exams if required. After licensure is obtained, practitioners must attend 12 to 50 hours of postdoctoral training in fields such as orthopedics, nutrition, radiology and neurology.

Bachelor of Chiropractic Science

• In other countries such as Australia, the completion of a three- to five-year integrated chiropractic degree can lead to a Bachelor of Chiropractic Science, also known as a B.Chiro.Sc degree. This degree actually preceded the creation of the Doctor of Chiropractic degree and is the prerequisite for the Master of Chiropractic, which outside of the U.S. fulfills the professional requirements for practice as a chiropractor. A clinical placement is usually necessary for completion of the degree requirements.

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