These days, it’s not uncommon for students to take a gap year or change majors multiple times before settling on what they ultimately want to do for the rest of their lives. My twin brother took a year before deciding on nursing, but I knew from the moment I watched my first chiropractic adjustment that I wanted to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree.
Once I decided I would attend Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) to become a D.C., it was time to start researching the best university to earn my undergraduate degree and set myself up for success at CUKC. I looked at Kansas State University and Emporia State University. I loved everything about Kansas State University except for the class size, and I was truly leaning towards pursuing a degree in kinesiology there.
Then, I discovered the articulation agreement that CUKC has with Emporia State University (ESU). An articulation agreement is a formal agreement between two or more colleges and universities regarding transfer policies.
Essentially what happened is that I spent my first three years of college at ESU working on my Bachelor of Arts in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry. Then, during my fourth year, I began the D.C. program at CUKC.
Over the course of the next year and a half, I worked my way through the chiropractic program while gradually taking courses that were considered dual credit (or concurrent) for both my bachelor’s degree through Emporia State University, and my D.C. degree through CUKC. Ultimately, by choosing this degree path, I cut out an additional year of schooling.
Many CUKC students enter the D.C. program with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, kinesiology or human biology. I was the only one out of 63 students in my class that entered with a degree in chemistry. Now was chemistry what I truly wanted to be studying? Not exactly. Chemistry wasn’t my passion, but I was pretty solid in my math skills and loved science, and I was eager to enter chiropractic college as soon as possible.
I’m thankful for having chosen to earn my undergrad degree in chemistry. After entering the D.C. program, I realized that my chemistry degree required me to obtain strong study skills that have served me well. While pursuing my chemistry major at ESU, I also took a course in advanced anatomy and physiology to help prepare me for chiropractic college, and I’m so glad I did. No matter what your major is, I suggest taking a human anatomy and physiology course before coming to CUKC if you can, because being exposed to that information helps you hit the ground running on day one.
I know there are people who think, “Holy cow. I am going to be in school for seven years at minimum if I choose to be a chiropractor!” It doesn’t have to take that long. With articulation agreements like the 3+3 arrangement between CUKC and ESU, you can graduate with a bachelor’s degree and your Doctor of Chiropractic degree in six years instead of seven, saving you time, effort and money.
There’s also the option to enroll in the B.S./D.C. concurrent degree program at CUKC. This program lets students earning their bachelor of science in human biology pursue the D.C. degree simultaneously during the fourth year of studies. The great thing about this program is that you’re on the CUKC campus for both programs, giving you the benefit of small class sizes, accessible instructors, and a tight-knit community to grow with and learn from.
The CUKC Chiropractic Degree Program
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, healthcare-focused university located in Overland Park, Kansas, an award-winning city of nearly 190,000 people within the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The University’s College of Chiropractic has been a national leader since 1922 and has more than 11,000 graduates. CUKC is also the first U.S. chiropractic college to have two Force Sensing Tables in the adjusting laboratory on campus.
Now’s the time to request a free copy of the ebook, Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession today!
