Spend enough time researching chiropractic schools and one aspect stands out: there are many different types of programs out there. That’s why it makes sense to want the best-possible chiropractic education you can get.
That means measuring four program aspects:
Despite the advances in online degree completion, a doctor of chiropractic (D.C.) program that delivers all its coursework on campus should always be at the top of the list. Chiropractic school is extremely rigorous and compares to medical school in many ways.
In fact, students take on at least 4,200 hours of education, covering classroom and laboratory time, as well as clinical time with patients, guided by experienced, licensed faculty.
The hands-on techniques necessary in chiropractic care demand extensive experience in working with patients. In addition to on-campus student labs that mirror the real world, better schools will have open-to-the-public health clinics and close relationships with area healthcare facilities that give students easy access to actual work conditions, internships, and employment possibilities.
A chiropractic school cannot offer a bare-bones academic program, either. Ensuring the success of students should be a primary focus, and this calls for a commitment to student support services such as:
Also look for special programs beyond simple career guidance and resume writing. While chiropractic school is not a business school, a good chiropractic school will provide its students with access to business resources that help them to:
Seek out assurances a chiropractic school has what it takes to prepare students for the demands of the profession now and as it evolves and expands. The keys to this quality guarantee are third-party program accreditation and institutional accreditation. For the traditional chiropractic school approach to care, look for a D.C. program accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).
In addition to program accreditation, the college or university should be accredited by a reputable accrediting agency that has set strict standards of quality and excellence.
Accreditation also ensures that the college or university is eligible to offer financial aid to qualifying students and can deliver the appropriate training required for licensure.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a national leader in chiropractic and health sciences education. More than one in every 10 chiropractors in the U.S. received a chiropractic degree from CUKC, a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university. Cleveland University-Kansas City is in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metro area. We celebrated our 100th anniversary in chiropractic education in 2022.
Our Doctor of Chiropractic program can be completed in just 3.3 years (10 trimesters) in courses and clinical settings offered on our 34-acre CUKC campus.
Points of distinction of our D.C. program:
To learn more about the Doctor of Chiropractic or the concurrent B.S./D.C. degree programs, get the free eBook about the chiropractic profession: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession.
