2024-2025 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog
Doctor of Chiropractic
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Return to: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
The degree to be awarded will be the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), which will prepare graduates to sit for the licensure examinations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Upon successful completion of the curriculum, graduates of the program are eligible for the national certification examination through the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), which is required to practice as a chiropractor. The goal of the DC curriculum is to prepare students to become self-directed, self-accountable chiropractors who can function in a cost-effective manner in all settings, and with persons of all ages. Graduates of the program will be prepared to enhance spine and musculoskeletal function using evidence-based practice principles. Graduates of the Doctor of Chiropractic program will have a foundation on which to base further knowledge and skills in specialty areas and to contribute to development of the art and science of chiropractic care. Students should note that the requirements for professional licensure can vary by state as well as by country. Because such requirements can change frequently and often without notice, it is strongly encouraged, and is the responsibility of the student, to ensure the degree they earn will meet the requirements for licensure in the state or country in which they seek licensure.
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Structure and function of the human body in health and disease
This includes the biomedical foundations of chiropractic practice, including molecular and cellular biology, anatomy, embryology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, neuroscience, and pathology.
Chiropractic studies
The curriculum includes an extensive scope of topics related to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required in chiropractic practice. The history, scope, and nature of the contemporary practice of chiropractic will be covered in detail. Skill development in manual and manipulative procedures will be founded on the principles of biomechanics and kinesiology, integrated with the skills and knowledge of rehabilitation and exercise science. The biopsychosocial approach to pain syndromes will be stressed as the foundation for a deep understanding of the role of the chiropractic practitioner in the emerging value-based US healthcare system.
Diagnosis and clinical reasoning
Students master the knowledge and skills to perform a patient history and examination, to understand the indications for diagnostic imaging and laboratory investigations and their interpretation. Clinical reasoning will be emphasized in the development of professional competency in the differentiation of musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal causes of pain and dysfunction and the skill of differential diagnosis required for the practice of chiropractic.
Clinical education
The program proposes clinical education in a wide range of settings such as VA hospitals and community-based outpatient clinics, Federally Qualified Health Clinics and the St. Luke’s University Health Network. Within UPMC facilities, inter-professional observational experiences are available within appropriate department settings, such as primary care, radiology, neurology, orthopedics, rheumatology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain medicine, neurosurgery, and geriatrics, as well as inpatient rehabilitation and physical/occupational therapy. These experiences will provide for the development and refinement of skills and competencies, progressing from observation, to participation, to independent practice within an integrated clinical model.
An important element embedded within the curriculum is weekly class meetings to integrate the educational content taught within the curricular tracts (Integrative Seminars). These weekly class meetings will be based upon clinical case studies.
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Return to: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
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