Pre-Chiropractic

The curriculum in pre-chiropractic is designed to prepare students for admission to a professional program in chiropractic medicine.  A bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) is not required prior to application to some chiropractic programs, however, it is strongly recommended and a minimum of 135 quarter credit hours is required for matriculation to all chiropractic programs with at least 36 of these credit hours coming from physical life sciences with labs.  No particular major is preferred, however a pre-medical foundation is widely viewed as the best preparation for the doctor of chiropractic curriculum. Such courses typically include a full year sequence of biology, human anatomy and physiology, general chemistry, organic and/or biochemistry, and physics with related labs.  A degree in biology or chemistry-biochemistry encompasses many of these prerequisite courses; however, the student’s choice of major should be guided primarily by their own intellectual interests and aptitudes.  Students must excel in whatever field is chosen because admission is very competitive and high academic achievement is a must.  Although they do not require students to follow any precise degree program, chiropractic schools do have specific entrance requirements. Typical prerequisite coursework includes one-year sequences of general biology with lab, human anatomy and physiology with lab, general chemistry with lab, organic chemistry with lab and physics with lab. In addition, courses in genetics, mathematics, humanities, psychology, sociology and English composition are required.  Students should plan to enroll in clinical observation courses to obtain shadowing hours required by some chiropractic schools.  Students are strongly encouraged to obtain prerequisite information from schools to which they will be applying and to work closely with their advisor when selecting appropriate coursework to meet the prerequisite requirements.  Admission to chiropractic school is highly competitive requiring high academic achievement and involvement in co-curricular activities such as internships, research and volunteering.

PDF of Pre-Chiropractic Checksheet