Pre-Chiropractic Program

There are fourteen accredited institutions in the United States that offer the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. The admission requirements at colleges of chiropractic are determined by each individual college. Since colleges of chiropractic have different requirements, it is essential that students investigate the specific requirements at the colleges where they plan to apply. Schools of chiropractic generally require a minimum of 90 semester hours of college credit before admission, but most of the successful applicants have completed a bachelor's degree prior to matriculation. Several state licensing boards require a student to have completed a bachelor's degree prior to entering a chiropractic program or before licensure.

Courses Required At Most Colleges of Chiropractic:

• General biology with lab
  (Bio 240 & 260 or 150 & 240)
• General chemistry with lab
  (Chem 111/113 & 121/114)
• Organic chemistry with lab
  (Chem 221/255 & 231)
• Physics I with lab
  (Phys 105/107)
• Physics II with lab
  (Phys 106/108) [Some schools will accept Anatomical Kinesiology (Kin 221) or Exercise Physiology (Kin 222/223) in place of Physics II]
• English
  (Eng 113 and either 213 or 214 or 231 or 232)
• Psychology
  (Psy 100)

Recommended Courses or Courses Required At Some Colleges of Chiropractic:

• Humanities/Social Sciences
• Anatomy (Kin 200 or Bio 332)
• Physiology (Bio 221 or 442)
• Microbiology (Bio 231 or 395)
• Statistics (Math 210)
• Biochemistry  (Chem 311 & 314)
• Psychology (Psy 230)

Colleges of chiropractic generally do not require scores from a national aptitude test (GRE, MCAT, or DAT).

Students should select a major area of study that is of interest and that will provide a foundation of knowledge necessary for the pursuit of several career alternatives. Colleges of chiropractic are most concerned with the overall quality and scope of undergraduate work and not with the specific academic major. While many students who are pursuing a career in chiropractic are interested in the sciences and major in one of the sciences, others with interests in the social sciences, humanities, or the arts, may major in one of those areas. Chiropractic schools seek students with diverse and broad academic backgrounds. Specific admission requirements for each of the colleges of chiropractic can be found on the web site for the American Chiropractic Association and on the web site for each of the colleges of chiropractic which are liked to this site.

Students should also be aware that chiropractic school admission committees want to see that a student has learned about the chiropractic profession through first-hand experience. This experience should include job shadowing one or more chiropractors. Chiropractic school admission committees generally ask for one of the letters of recommendation for an applicant to be written by a chiropractor who has mentored the applicant. Admission committees also look at a student's experiences for evidence that the student is committed to serving others and that the student is able to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and of different ages.

Useful Web Links to Information on the Chiropractic Profession and on Colleges of Chiropractic:

• American Chiropractic Association
• List of accredited Colleges of Chiropractic with web links to each school
• Student American Chiropractic Association

Links to General Information

• Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for all types of careers.
• Explore Health Careers-a large database of links to other resources including information on many different careers.

For academic advising related to the Pre-Chiropractic Program at Hope College, please contact Professor William Mungall (mungall@hope.edu).