Finding a Chiropractic School

If you have decided you are interested in becoming a chiropractor, your next step is finding a chiropractic school. Here are some personal and professional factors you may want to consider:

• Country. We’ll start with the most basic question: What country do you want live in while you attend chiropractic school? There are 14 Schools in the United States, (some with more than one location), two in Canada, one in England, one in Brazil, and one in New Zealand.

• Reputation/accreditation. In North America, most of the chiropractic schools are accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE, www.cce-usa.org). Schools in other countries may or may not be accredited.

If you attend a non-U.S. accredited school, you may have difficulty obtaining a license to practice in the United States CCE-accredited schools also are required to include statistics on their Web sites showing the pass rates of their students for the national chiropractic boards.

• Philosophy. Each chiropractic school has a unique mission and emphasis. Some schools have a single focus on chiropractic; a few of these schools focus on “straight” chiropractic and do not include such subjects as physical therapy in their curricula. Other schools have a range of subjects and areas, including acupuncture, physical therapy, and massage therapy, among others.

• Size of school. What size of school you prefer is a personal choice; you may have attended an undergraduate school that was very large, and you like the idea of going to a smaller school now. Or the reverse might be true. You can find information on the number of students at the school’s Web site.

• Additional services, degrees. Some schools have additional degree programs beyond the chiropractic degree, including master’s degrees in various fields. You may want to consider a school that has one of these.

• Location. Many students choose a school that is close geographically to where they currently live, so they can be close to family and friends. Some people prefer certain areas of the country for climate or personal reasons.

• Personal recommendation. One of the best ways to find out about schools is to ask chiropractors which one they would recommend. You might be surprised to find out that the school they attended is not the one they would recommend.

Here is a suggested process for determining which school is best for you:

1. Narrow down your search to a few accredited schools, by general geographic location or by getting recommendations from chiropractors.
2. Spend some time on the web sites for these schools, learning more about their courses and philosophy.
3. Request information and study it.
4. Make plans to visit your top 2 to 3 schools, during a special “campus visit” day or other time. Usually the visit will be the determining factor.
5. If you’re still unsure, sit down with your family and discuss.

Whichever school you select, all accredited schools will give you a great chiropractic education.

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