You can start on your pre-chiropractic degree by completing the Associate of Arts and Sciences Degree with a major in Science, Specialization: Pre-Medical at SWCC. After completing an Associate’s degree, you will continue your pre-chiropractic studies by transferring to a four-year school. Currently, chiropractic candidates are not required to have a bachelor’s degree before entering chiropractic school. However, many students do complete a bachelor’s program.
A minimum of 90 semester hours of undergraduate coursework is required for acceptance into a chiropractic program. You can declare a major in any subject at a four-year school to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree, which will require an additional two years. Your chosen major does not determine your success in being accepted to a chiropractic school. After being accepted to chiropractic school, it typically takes four years to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), but programs vary in length.
Early in your academic career, you will need to research some of the chiropractic schools you are interested in attending in order to ensure you will meet all their criteria for admission. Some basic factors are:
It is the Graduate Record Examination. It is a standardized test taken by students who are applying to chiropractic schools. It will be similar to the ACT® or SAT®. It is a broad assessment of your critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills — all skills developed over many years, including your two years at SWCC. See GRE® practice tests
Chiropractic practice requires keen observation to detect physical abnormalities. It also takes considerable manual dexterity, but not unusual strength or endurance, to perform adjustments. Chiropractors should be able to work independently and handle responsibility. As in other health-related occupations, empathy, understanding, and a desire to help others are good qualities for effectively dealing with patients. Also needed are decision-making skills, attention to detail, a desire to learn, empathy, and interpersonal skills.
The student should shadow chiropractors and ask questions about the profession. Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, and on their effects on general health. Chiropractic care is most often used to treat musculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, joint pain in the arms or legs, and headaches. The chiropractic approach to healthcare is holistic, stressing the patient’s overall health and wellness. It recognizes that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment, and heredity. Chiropractors provide natural, drugless, nonsurgical health treatments and rely on the body’s inherent recuperative abilities. They also recommend changes to the patient’s lifestyle, such as diet, exercise, and sleep. When appropriate, chiropractors consult with and refer patients to other health practitioners.
Review the 15 Doctor of Chiropractic Programs in 18 locations in the United States.