Chiropractor Educational Requirements
Have you every wondered how much education a Doctor of Chiropractic is required to have compared to a medical doctor? Look at these basic educational requirements for graduates of both Chiropractic colleges and Medical schools. Each has its own specialties, but the hours of classroom instruction are about the same. Doctors of Chiropractic must satisfy a demanding academic course load that leads to a doctorate degree requiring six to eight academic years of study: two to four year preparatory and four years professional.
Chiropractors must meet stringent educational requirements, including approximately six hundred hours of internship, which qualify them for licensure in all states. Chiropractors are required to pass stringent national board examinations as a prerequisite for licensure in most states. And, in most states, the Doctor of Chiropractic must stay abreast of the latest health care techniques by attending seminars and other special study programs.
BASIC SCIENCE COMPARISONS:
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| CHIROPRACTIC HOURS* (minimum) | SUBJECT | MEDICAL HOURS” (minimum) |
| 456 | Anatomy/Embryology | 215 |
| 243 | Physiology | 174 |
| 296 | Pathology | 507** |
| 161 | Chemistry | 100 |
| 145 | Microbiology | 145 |
| 408 | Diagnosis | 113** |
| 149 | Neurology | 171 |
| 271 | X-Ray | 13 |
| 56 | Psychology and Psychiatry | 323 |
| 66 | Obstetrics and Gynecology | 284 |
| 168 | Orthopedics | 2 |
| 2,419 | TOTAL | 2047 |
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* The class hours for basic science comparisons were compiled and averaged following a review of curricula of 18 chiropractic colleges and 22 medical schools, based on the 1988-1989 Association of American Medical College Curriculum Directory (AAMC), Vickie Ahari, Editor, and the Chiropractic College Admissions and Curriculum Directory 1988-1989, K. Magarian and K. McNamee, editors.
** Pathology includes Geriatrics and Pediatrics
*** Includes EENT and Dermatology
