Please refer to the current SIUE catalog or the Biology Department Web Page for detailed specialization requirements for biology majors.

• What is Chiropractic Medicine?
• Choosing a Major/Minor
• Chiropractic School Applications
• Letters of Evaluation
• Interviews
• Logan College of Chiropractic Pre-Requisites
• Chiropractic College Web Sites

What is Chiropractic Medicine?

According to the American Chiropractic Association, www.amerchiro.org , Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is concerned with human health and disease processes. Doctors of Chiropractic are physicians who consider man as an integrated being and give special attention to the physiological and biochemical aspects including structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental relationships.

The practice and procedures which may be employed by Doctors of Chiropractic are based on the academic and clinical training received in and through accredited chiropractic colleges and include, but are not limited to, the use of current diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Such procedures specifically include the adjustment and manipulation of the articulations and adjacent tissues of the human body, particularly of the spinal column. Included is the treatment of intersegmental aberrations for alleviation of related functional disorders. Chiropractic is a drug-free, non-surgical science and, as such, does not include pharmaceuticals or incisive surgery.

Choosing a Major/Minor

Your undergraduate academic program should include courses that give you a solid foundation in the sciences. Most students interpret that as requiring a major in the sciences, but you should actually choose a major that interests you and in which you have some talent. Although most students do major in the biological or physical sciences, there is no one major that will guarantee acceptance into chiropractic college. Regardless of your major, you will need to take a substantial amount of biology, physics, chemistry and math, with good grades.

Minimum requirements for all chiropractic colleges are one year of biology, two years of chemistry, and one year of physics. Two semesters of biology is not sufficient for good performance in the first two years of academic study in a chiropractic program. A minimum of four semesters, possibly five, of biology will prepare a student for the rigors of chiropractic school. Your biology courses should give you a sound basis in general biology, zoology, genetics, cell biology, physiology, and biochemistry. In addition to the sciences, you need to have a well-rounded education in the humanities and social sciences; don't neglect these fields. Courses in computer science applications, writing, business and statistics are also valuable. A major in science accompanied by a minor in some non-science field provides evidence of a broad background and interest.

Chiropractic College Applications

Students should plan to apply to chiropractic schools at least 6 months to one year prior to desired admission. Many chiropractic programs will have multiple starting classes each year, so plan accordingly. Each chiropractic college has their own application form and the student should contact each institution individually.

Letters of Evaluation

Each chiropractic college establishes their own rules in the application process regarding letters of evaluation. Many schools will require three letters of evaluation along with a letter of recommendation from a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. The prospective applicant should contact each school individually to obtain specific requirements.

Interview

Many chiropractic colleges will require an interview held on their campus. These interviews are usually informal, but the student should prepare for the encounter. Some items to consider for this interview are below:

Preparation for the Interview

• Get to know yourself well--think about your motivation, personal characteristics, values, opinions, and goals. Are you honest, empathetic, compassionate, curious, analytical?
• Motivation: Consider your life experiences and how they relate to chiropractic medicine. How have your experiences, your relationships with people, your accomplishments motivated you toward chiropractic? You should be able to talk about such things in a conversation without sounding self-centered or arrogant.
• Consider your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a planner, well-organized and reliable? What are your talents? What do they contribute to making you a good candidate for medical school? What are your shortcomings? Don't try to hide them, but think about them, and how you have dealt with them to be a successful student, etc. Don't blame others for your problems or shortcomings--if it is necessary to talk about them, explain them and how you compensate for them. Don't try to turn a weakness into a strength.
• Maturity: What major decisions have you made on your own? How have you dealt with disappointments? How do you handle stress and anxiety?
• Intellectual curiosity: Are you a well-read person? What do you read? Are you aware of current controversies in the chiropractic field? How do you spend your free time? Have you taught yourself some special skill? Are you interested in some topic beyond what is required of you in classes?
• Leadership: Have you taken advantage of the opportunities available to you on campus to become involved in a community or people-oriented activity? Have you taken a leadership role in such an activity? How involved were you? How has it helped you and the organization in which you participated?
• Interpersonal communication skills: Evaluate yours, and do what you can to improve them. Practice listening, as well as talking, to others.
• Values and opinions: Have opinions regarding current social/political/medical issues. Be able to discuss your opinions logically and back up your opinions clearly, but be open to other ideas.
• Goals: What do you see yourself doing in 5 or 10 years? Will you be doing research, be a primary care physician, be teaching in a chiropractic institution, be in family practice?
• Get to know the school at which you are interviewing before you go there--look at its web page (or other sources) and know as much as you can about its philosophy, history, curriculum (required and elective courses), research, clinical facilities, socioeconomic characteristics of its setting. Look at its catalog, if possible--have some questions to ask about the particular school at which you are interviewing. Be sure to call if you need to cancel an appointment.

Logan College of Chiropractic Prerequisites

For admission to the Doctor of Chiropractic program, all students must furnish proof of having earned a minimum of 90 semester hours applicable to the award of a baccalaureate degree at an institution or institutions accredited by a nationally recognized agency. Included in these credits must be a minimum of 48 semester hours in the course areas listed below.

In addition all students must have earned a cumulative and prerequisite grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for those required courses listed below and for the required 90 semester hours. In situations in which one or more courses have been repeated with equivalent courses, the most recent grade(s) may be used for grade point average computation and the earlier grades(s) may be disregarded.

• Biological Science - Minimum 6 semester hours with associated labs
• Chemistry - Minimum of 12 semester hours of chemistry
  • At least 3 semester hours must be general/inorganic chemistry
  • At least 6 semester hours must be organic chemistry and/or biochemistry
  • At least 6 semester hours of chemistry must include pertinent related laboratories
• Physics - Minimum of 6 semester hours of physics and related studies
  • At least 3 semester hours of physics with pertinent related laboratory
  • At least 3 semester hours of additional physics, biomechanics, kinesiology, statistics or exercise physiology (no lab required)
• Psychology - Minimum of 3 semester hours
• Social Science/Humanities - Minimum of 15 semester hours
  • Social Science areas include anthropology, economics, geography, history, management, marketing, political science, psychology and sociology
  • Humanity areas include art, foreign language, literature, music, philosophy and religion
• Language/Communications - Minimum of 6 semester hours
  • Language / Communications include any college level courses in the English Department and/or speech, literature and mass communications

Links to Sites of Interest to Pre-Chiropractic Students

• List of Accredited Chiropractic colleges
• Logan College of Chiropractic
• Palmer College of Chiropractic

Let me know (cbwilso@siue.edu) if you know of other sites that might be of interest to pre-chiropractic students.