Professionally, Chiropractors must be licensed, which requires 2 to 4 years of undergraduate education, the completion of a 4-year chiropractic college course and passing scores on United States national and State examinations.

Chiropractic Education and Training Chiropractic programs in the United States are accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education. Most applicants today have a university bachelor’s degree (about 2020 classroom hours), which may eventually become the minimum entry requirement. These include courses like English, the social sciences or humanities, organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, anatomy, physics, and psychology.Chiropractic programs require a minimum of 4,200 hours of combined classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. During the first 2 years, most chiropractic programs emphasize classroom and laboratory work in sciences such as anatomy, physiology, public health, microbiology, pathology, and biochemistry. The final 2 years focus on courses in manipulation and spinal adjustment and provide clinical experience in physical and laboratory diagnosis, neurology, orthopedics, geriatrics, physiotherapy, and nutrition. Chiropractic programs and institutions grant the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.).Chiropractic colleges also offer postdoctoral training in orthopedics, neurology, sports injuries, nutrition, rehabilitation, radiology, industrial consulting, family practice, pediatrics, and applied chiropractic sciences. Once such training is complete, chiropractors may take specialty exams leading to “diplomate” status in a given specialty. Exams are administered by chiropractic specialty boards.

Exams are administered by chiropractic specialty boards.