School of Chiropractic Graduate
Doctor of Chiropractic
DC Doctor of Chiropractic
The first university-based Doctor of Chiropractic program in the United States, accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education, with a senior year spent treating patients in UB's own clinic.
Start here
You do not need a completed bachelor’s degree to begin
Applicants arrive at this program along three common paths. Each card explains how your background affects your timeline.
Route 01
You are mid-way through a bachelor's
You have two or three years of science behind you and you would rather not spend another year finishing a degree you only need in order to start this one.
You can enter on 90 completed credits without the bachelor’s in hand: provided 24 of them are physical or life sciences at C or better, half with labs, and your best 90 credits carry a 3.0.
Route 02
Your degree is finished but it is not in science
You hold a bachelor’s in something else and you are wondering how much of the prerequisite block you are missing.
Count your science credits before anything else. Twenty-four credits of physical and life science is the hard requirement, and half of those must have carried a laboratory component.
Route 03
You are changing careers into healthcare
You have worked in another field, possibly for years, and you want a clinical doctorate that leads to your own practice rather than to a residency queue.
Your personal statement matters more here than anywhere else in the file. It is 250 to 500 words and it is where the career change gets explained.
A senior year spent caring for patients
Chiropractic is a manual profession, so the degree ends in a clinic rather than in a lecture hall. In your senior year you provide direct care at UB's Chiropractic Clinic, assessing and treating patients from the surrounding community under supervision.
Clinical training
Three clinical settings
Community practice, veteran care, and a laboratory where movement is measured precisely.
UB Chiropractic Clinic
Your senior-year placement. Real patients from the Bridgeport community, seen under the supervision of licensed faculty clinicians.
Veterans Administration hospitals
Selected students rotate through two regional VA hospitals: a patient population with complex, long-running musculoskeletal presentations.
Human Performance and Biomechanics Lab
Where gait, posture and load are instrumented. The bridge between what you can feel with your hands and what you can show on a chart.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements and deadlines
Ninety credits, a 3.0 GPA across your best credits, and twenty-four credits of science, half of them with labs.
What you need
- A bachelor’s degree earned, or a minimum of 90 credits completed
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher within your best 90 credits
- A minimum of 24 credits in the physical and life sciences at C or better, half of which must include laboratory work
- The online application
- Official transcripts from every school you have attended
- A personal statement of 250–500 words: why this degree, how you intend to use it, and why University of Bridgeport
- A resumé
- Recommended science subjects are Biology or Anatomy and Physiology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics
- International applicants: English proficiency evidence and visa documentation are handled separately, start that thread early
Deadlines & intakes
Program structure
From basic science to caring for your own patients
The program runs on 18-week semesters and moves steadily from the classroom to the clinic.
Basic sciences
Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pathology: the foundation every clinical judgment later rests on, taught at the depth a doctorate requires.
Chiropractic sciences
Adjusting technique, biomechanics and spinal analysis. This is where the manual skill is built, and it is assessed on your hands rather than on paper alone.
Clinical sciences and diagnosis
Diagnostic imaging, physical examination and differential diagnosis: including knowing which presentations belong to somebody else’s specialty.
Clinical internship
Senior year in the UB Chiropractic Clinic, with selected students also rotating through two regional Veterans Administration hospitals.
Course sequences change between catalog years. The academic catalog and its addendum are authoritative for the requirements that apply to your entry term.
Curriculum pageAccredited
The Council on Chiropractic Education
The Doctor of Chiropractic program at University of Bridgeport holds programmatic accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education, 9393 N 90th St., Suite 102-660, Scottsdale, AZ 85258-5073, (480) 443-8877, www.cce-usa.org. Initial accreditation was awarded in 1994 and the current term runs through 2026. The School of Chiropractic is also a member of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges.
Accreditation status is maintained by the School of Chiropractic; the CCE directory is authoritative.
Career outcomes
Careers for Doctor of Chiropractic graduates
The Doctor of Chiropractic is a licensure-track clinical doctorate. Most graduates treat patients, in a range of practice settings.
Tuition scholarships up to $25,000 a year
Eligible applicants may receive tuition scholarships of up to $25,000 per year. Submitting transcripts from every institution you attended is what puts you in scope for consideration, so send them all rather than only the most recent.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a bachelor's degree to apply?
Not necessarily. You need either a bachelor’s degree earned or a minimum of 90 completed credits, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher across your best 90. The science prerequisites apply either way.
So is the program 90 credits long?
No. The 90 is what you need to enter. It is the credit threshold for admission, not the length of the doctorate. The degree itself runs on 18-week semesters through basic science, chiropractic science, clinical diagnosis and a clinical internship; the academic catalog carries the current credit requirements.
Which science courses count toward the 24 credits?
Physical and life sciences at C or better, with at least half carrying a laboratory component. Recommended subjects are Biology or Anatomy and Physiology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics. Bring a transcript to an admissions officer if you are unsure how yours will be counted: that conversation decides your start term more than anything else on this page.
When can I start?
Twice a year, in January and August. The deadline is December 1 for the January intake and July 15 for August, and in both cases the deadline is for a complete file rather than a submitted form.
Is the program accredited?
Yes. It holds programmatic accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education, initially awarded in 1994, with the current term running through 2026. The School of Chiropractic is also a member of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges.
Do I treat real patients before I graduate?
Yes. Senior-year students provide direct care at UB’s Chiropractic Clinic to patients from the local community, under supervision. Selected students also rotate through two regional Veterans Administration hospitals.
Are letters of recommendation required?
They are not listed among the required materials. The four documents named are the application, official transcripts from all schools attended, a personal statement of 250–500 words, and a resumé. An admissions officer can tell you whether a recommendation would strengthen your particular file.
More in health sciences
Take the next step
Talk to admissions about your science prerequisites, whether your credits meet the 90-credit threshold, and which of the two yearly intakes fits your timeline.