Chiropractic

This 3+3 program, created in an effort to better serve students intending to pursue the chiropractic profession, provides qualified students with an opportunity to complete the Bachelor of Science in Biology degree and the Doctor of Chiropractic degree in six years instead of seven years. Chiropractors treat patients whose health problems originate in the spine. Treatment options include adjustment of the spine, exercise, and nutrition.

The Biology program at Lewis University is designed to prepare undergraduate students for a graduate health professional school. The first three years of the program consists of a broad-based curriculum (a minimum of 90 semester hours) that includes courses in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and mathematics, and that maximizes the number of elective science courses. Lewis University has articulation agreements with Logan College of Chiropractic, Northwestern Health Sciences University, and Palmer College, which enhance the student’s opportunity for a career in chiropractic care. These agreements allow for preferential consideration of the Lewis student during the admission process into Logan College and Palmer College and provide an opportunity for the student to pursue the 3+3 program. Students admitted to these programs complete the fourth year at the Chiropractic program, with this year serving as both the fourth year of undergraduate study and the first year of the professional program. Once students complete all the requirements for the Lewis University B.S. in Biology, they may participate in the Lewis University undergraduate graduation ceremony.

Logan College
Logan College of Chiropractic offers a four-year (ten trimesters) graduate program leading to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Logan offers modern facilities, extensive hands-on experiences, and the opportunity to be taught by outstanding faculty members who provide a national standard for teaching and learning. The three-year and four-month Chiropractic program is divided into three phases: pre-clinical, clinical, and advanced clinical. The pre-clinical phase, lasting four trimesters, consists of the basic science courses and the chiropractic performance-based courses. The clinical phase, totaling three trimesters, consists of chiropractic performance-based courses while the advanced clinical phase is devoted extensive clinical rotations, practice management, and administration courses. The combination of classroom studies and hands-on experiences totals more than five thousand hours spent preparing for a successful chiropractic practice.

Palmer College
The Palmer curriculum is a graduate-level program that is typically completed in a little more than three calendar years but is equivalent to a five-academic-year program. Students in the Palmer Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) program take more hours in anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, and neurology than those in typical medical school programs. During the first year, students learn the basic sciences that are the foundation of chiropractic, while in the second year, courses in chiropractic technique, X-ray, and practice management courses are added. The third year is devoted to caring for patients in an outpatient clinic setting as well as business preparation. Palmer College of Chiropractic, with campuses located in Iowa, Florida, and California, has the largest chiropractic research facility in the world and opened a 50,000 square-foot facility in 2007 featuring a state-of-the-art outpatient clinic as well as leading-edge clinical learning resources for students, faculty, researchers, and alumni.

Northwestern Health Sciences University
Founded in 1941 as Northwestern College of Chiropractic, Northwestern Health Sciences University has grown in size and influence in the practice of natural health care in Minnesota and beyond. Northwestern was founded by Dr. John B. Wolfe, a civil engineer turned doctor of chiropractic, who started the college with the help of one colleague and three students. Northwestern now offers diverse academic programs, fosters clinical research, promotes individualized instruction, provides faculty development, and establishes standards for clinical competence. From the original three students to more than 900, from one clinical training opportunity to a network of more than 100, Northwestern has grown in size, scope, and influence. But it still holds to its founder’s vision: a high-quality, science-based education that prepares practitioners for the ever-growing field of natural health care.