Chiropractic Education

Doctors of Chiropractic complete 4 years of undergraduate school and five years of graduate school. They are required to pass National and State board examinations to obtain licensure. Once licensed, continuing post-graduate education is required for annual license renewal.

This table compares professional graduate school educations for the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) and the Medical Doctor (M.D.).
 
Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools

Subject
Chiropractic Schools
Medical Schools
 
Hours
% of Total
Hours
% of Total
Anatomy
570
40
368
31
Biochemistry
150
11
120
10
Microbiology
120
8
120
10
Public Health
70
5
289
24
Physiology
305
21
142
12
Pathology
205
14
162
14
Total Hours
1,420
100
1,200
100
 

 

Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools
 
Chiropractic Schools
Medical Schools
 
Mean
Percentage
Mean
Percentage
Basic science hours
1416
29%
1200
26%
Clinical science hours
3406
71%
3467
74%
Chiropractic science hours
1975
41%
0
0
Clerkship hours
1405
29%
3467
74%
Total Contact Hours
4822
100%
4667
100%
Source for both above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc., Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.