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Program Structure 

The Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) program is a full-time program delivered over a total of eight academic terms including two summer terms (2 and 2/3 years). The curriculum is designed to expose students to patient-centered, evidence-based clinical training every term of the program. 

What to expect in the eight terms

Didactic and clinical opportunities will span across the diverse departments in SHRS such as Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies as well as Pitt’s schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health. Courses will be led by Doctor of Chiropractic faculty. 

All courses are designed to incorporate chiropractic clinical relevance and context. The first year’s science classes will be combined with clinical field trips to reinforce hands-on learning. The second year will focus on diagnostics, clinical management skills and the refinement of clinical reasoning skills while attending grand rounds at facilities such as the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. These lessons and trainings will culminate in the final semester of their third year with a full-time clinical chiropractic experience. 

The Doctor of Chiropractic program curriculum information will continue to be updated.

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Areas of Study 

Students will take courses in basic science, clinical science, chiropractic science and clinical education.

  • Basic - Foundational science courses to enhance and acquire knowledge in the clinical and chiropractic sciences.
  • Clinical Science - Courses to support the assessment and formulation of a diagnosis and opportunities for collaboration and referral.
  • Chiropractic Science - Courses for the development of the knowledge skills and abilities to assess and manage patients in a clinical setting.
  • Clinical Education - Observational and hands on rotations to synthesize the content of all courses and to prepare for practice as a clinician.

Plan of Study

View Curriculum Chart

Clinical Education 

This chiropractic program will offer students several unique clinical training opportunities that are available only in an integrated education and clinical system such as the one that currently exists between the University of Pittsburgh, the UPMC healthcare system and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Students will be exposed to complex clinical training working with real patients living with a wide variety of injuries and disabilities. 

Clinical training will be a stepped approach over the length of the program and practiced with real patients. Students will begin with four hours per week of observational training in their first year, followed by assisting with clinical tasks in their second year, finally working up to a full-time clinical placement in the final semester of their third year within integrated health care systems and private practices of chiropractic. 

The “hub and spoke model” of the Pitt Doctor of Chiropractic program clinically robust education.

 

The curriculum for the University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Chiropractic program is designed to allow students to meet the licensure/certification requirements in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Each state and territory have different professional licensure and certification requirements. It has not been determined if the program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in any other state or U.S. territories. Students who intend to practice outside of Pennsylvania are advised to consult with their state licensing board to review that state’s requirements (which are always subject to change without notice) to determine if the program meets that state’s requirements. Pitt's Doctor of Chiropractic program faculty will assist enrolled students in understanding licensure requirements for their preferred location of practice.

Contact information for chiropractic licensing boards by state is available on the websites of the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards and the American Chiropractic Association.