DC - Doctor of Chiropractic

The Doctor of Chiropractic curriculum is designed to be completed in ten trimesters, with a maximum satisfactory time frame for completion of 15 terms. This includes seven trimesters of academic coursework and three trimesters of clinical internship.

If a student has interrupted their chiropractic education at Parker University, no credit will be given for previous coursework greater than 5 years old upon readmission (this requirement may be appealed to the SAP committee of the College of Chiropractic for students with special circumstances such as a first professional degree or a graduate degree in a related discipline who have been active in the workforce). Students readmitted to the program must follow the Readmission Policy.

Class Schedules

The curriculum in the Doctor of Chiropractic program requires a minimum of 10 trimesters for completion. All entering students are placed on a full-time schedule as presented in the University Catalog unless a reduced load is requested. Students may request a reduced schedule for a single term or for multiple terms. Reduced course loads will result in changes to the anticipated graduation date, increase the cost of the program, and may impact financial aid eligibility.

Students who fail or withdraw from courses receive academic advising and are placed on a modified schedule that includes the failed/withdrawn course(s). Modified schedules are designed to support successful academic progress and return students to a regular schedule of courses without violating course prerequisites or other academic policies. Students who do not accept the academic advising recommendations may experience further delay in program completion, higher costs to complete the program, and financial aid ineligibility.

Parker University reserves the right to set and/or modify the schedule of enrolled students.

Lab Schedules

Students are required to attend the lab section to which they are officially assigned. Lab section assignments are considered final, and lab changes are not permitted once schedules are released, except in the case of an approved even swap. 

Lab Swap Process

• A student who wishes to change lab sections must identify a classmate willing to exchange lab sections.

  • Both students must complete and submit a DC Lab Swap Request Form to AskRegistrar@parker.edu.

  • The Registrar’s Office will process the request within two business days of receiving completed forms from both students.

  • Approval is contingent on availability and the absence of scheduling conflicts for either student.

• Individual lab change requests will not be accepted.

Missed Labs Due to Scheduling Conflicts

If a student cannot attend their assigned lab due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., documented illness, emergency, university-sanctioned event), the absence will be reviewed under the Excused Absence Policy. These are not considered valid reasons for lab section changes, but missed labs may be addressed according to the excused absence protocol.

Appeals

Students who believe they have exceptional circumstances that justify a lab change outside of the approved process may submit an appeal in writing via email (CMaguire@parker.edu) to the Office of the Dean of Academics. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed to result in a change; work is not considered an exceptional circumstance. A non-refundable administrative fee of $25 will apply to any individual approved lab section change through the appeal process.

Final Deadline

All lab schedules must be finalized by the end of the drop/add period (first 5 business days of the trimester). After this deadline, no further changes to lab schedules will be made, except in rare cases approved through the appeals process.

Parker University‘s Doctor of Chiropractic Program embraces online learning and educational technology throughout the curriculum. Every DC course is accessible online via the learning management system's course page, where the syllabus, course calendar, grade book, and course material can be found. Coursework may be delivered in person in the classroom, synchronously online, and asynchronously. Many courses deliver lecture contact hours in all three formats. While the mode of delivery of lab and lecture varies, the learning activities and opportunities for interaction are commensurate with the contact hours and course content. 

The DC program offers a blended track that allows the student to engage in primarily Basic Science coursework asynchronously in a fully online format for the first three trimesters (one year). Students then arrive on campus to focus on the hands-on components of the curriculum. The adjusting coursework threads have been refined in this track to allow an increased number of contact hours once these students arrive on campus. The blended track is offered as a curricular unit, and the courses therein are only available to students who have committed to this path of study. 

Requesting a Change of Track

Eligibility

A student may request to change tracks no later than the end of Trimester 2. Change requests cannot be approved after the start of a term. Only one change of major request is permitted per student enrollment. To be eligible for a change between these tracks, students must meet the following requirements:

• Be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25

• Be in good conduct standing with no record of academic misconduct

Approval

Approval is not guaranteed, and the University reserves the right to deny requests if the change would not be in the interest of student success.

Exceptions

The University recognizes that exceptional circumstances may warrant a change of track request for students who do not meet the criteria for eligibility. In such cases, students may submit a written request for an exception to the Dean of Academics for the College of Chiropractic. The Dean will then review the request with the College of Chiropractic Leadership Team (CCLT ) and a determination will be made on whether the change is approved.

This policy aims to ensure that students who wish to change their major between the blended and traditional Doctor of Chiropractic tracks are able to do so under certain conditions. The University reserves the right to deny change of major requests.

Laboratory Participation

The Doctor of Chiropractic program includes many courses with associated laboratory experiences. The purpose of lab participation is to ensure active engagement in both the online and in-person components of each course. Laboratory participation is mandatory for all Doctor of Chiropractic program courses with associated laboratory experiences. Students must be present and actively engaged for the full duration of each lab session to receive attendance credit. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a loss of attendance credit.

All students are required to participate in laboratory activities unless a documented disability or other extenuating circumstance requires special accommodations. Laboratory experiences include but are not limited to, the following: microscopy, chemical experiments, cadaver dissection, physical and neurological examinations, palpation and adjustment, application of physiological therapeutics, and active care techniques. Students are expected to participate as both patients and examiners/doctors in applicable laboratory experiences.

To maintain our educational standards and ensure consistent engagement in active learning, there are guidelines on lab session absences. Below are the specifics on excused absences, the consequences of exceeding these, and options for extended absences:

• Excused Absence Limit – Excused absences may be granted for a maximum of three lab sessions. No makeup opportunities will be granted for additional missed lab sessions.

• Extended Absence Alternatives – Students with greater than three lab absences are encouraged to seek potential alternative options provided in other policies including Dropping Courses, Withdrawals, and temporary grades of Incomplete.

• Students who accumulate a total of 5 or more absences from the lab component, whether excused or unexcused, will receive a grade of FA (Failed due to Absences) for the entire course, including lecture and lab components.

Electives

Electives are taught in a hybrid format with the lecture component being delivered online and the laboratory component delivered face-to-face and hands-on. Elective offerings may be impacted by faculty schedules and/or availability, as well as student interest.

Clinic Internship

The Doctor of Chiropractic program’s Internship Practicum is a three-course sequence that students complete during their final year of enrollment (Trimesters 8, 9, and 10). Concurrently, students are enrolled in two other clinic courses called Clinical Development I and Clinical Development II.

Beginning in January 2026, students must pass the NBCE Part I exam in order to be enrolled in Internship Practicum and Clinical Development courses.

The three practicum courses, Internship Practicum I, Internship Practicum II, Internship Practicum III, and the two Clinical Development courses include lecture and laboratory hours. Hours correlate to participation in onsite or online educational activities and laboratory, as well as participation in patient service at one of the University’s chiropractic clinics or one of the Community-Based Internship clinics. Each student is evaluated to measure achievement of each outcome of the educational Meta-Competencies from the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) during enrollment in each of these courses.

A student qualifies for graduation by passing each of the clinic courses, completing the quantitative patient service credit requirements, and achieving each of the CCE Meta-Competency Outcomes.

COMMUNITY BASED INTERNSHIP PROGRAM - The Community Based Internships (CBI) Department offers diverse clinical experiences in solo, multi-provider, multidisciplinary, and/or hospital settings, and is committed to enhancing the student’s education in safe and productive clinical environments.

CBI opportunities are open for application to all students who meet set requisite benchmarks as published in the CBI Handbook. The application process for each program will be opened by the CBI Department at scheduled intervals. For each CBI rotation, student interns will utilize all the skills taught at Parker University to experience a wide range of patient presentations. Guidance and supervision for all programs is given by credentialed Extension or Affiliate Faculty members of Parker University. Students complete their qualitative assessments while in the Parker Clinics and will have the opportunity to continue to obtain quantitative graduation credit requirements during participation in all CBI rotations.

PRACTICE BASED INTERNSHIPS (PBI) - Practice Based Internships encompasses the clinical experience in off-campus facilities in the local Dallas-Fort Worth area, state of Texas, and throughout the country. In this setting, interns will have the opportunity to provide chiropractic care to a variety of patients within private practice settings of either solo or multi-provider environments, while observing and learning successful practice management strategies. These opportunities will allow interns the ability to expand their patient care knowledge and understanding by participating in supervised clinical experiences while learning various aspects of small business operations including front and back-office duties, shadowing the doctor, exam procedures and patient care participation. Student participation numbers in PBI varies from trimester-to-trimester and is dependent upon class size and the number of current participating private practice offices.

VETERANS AFFAIRS HOSPITAL ROTATION PROGRAM (VA HOSPITALS) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital rotation offers a clinical experience whereby interns have the opportunity to provide chiropractic care to veterans experiencing a variety of health challenges within a multidisciplinary, highly regulated and fully electronic hospital environment. Students in this rotation will gain experience in their skills, abilities, and confidence seeing a variety of patient cases.

Out-of-Metroplex/State VA rotations, due to the competitive nature with interns from other chiropractic institutions, require a Resume, Cover Letter and three Letters of Recommendation due at the time of application. A list of the VA sites can be found at www.parker.edu/veterans-affairs-hospital-rotation/.  

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) ROTATIONS at MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER and CAMP PENDLETON - During these rotations, interns will be supervised by a Doctor of Chiropractic and Parker University Extension Faculty at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA or Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA. This veteran preferred program will provide a broad clinical experience working with a team of chiropractic experts within the Physical Medicine and Rehab Department. This department provides high quality physical therapy care to the beneficiaries of Madigan Army Medical Center or Camp Pendleton, including access to care and treatment levels consistent with producing the best possible outcomes. The Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton offers a unique opportunity for driven and passionate individuals to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The Madigan Army Medical Center’s Chiropractic Clinic’s mission, as stated from their website, is to “maintain a fit force and high level of unit readiness while simultaneously integrating the highest quality preventive, clinical, surgical, and rehabilitative services; research; and graduate medical education so that we are the choice for musculoskeletal care among all our health care beneficiaries.” 

CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION (CCF) - During this rotation, interns will be supervised by chiropractors and Parker University Extension Faculty at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, OH. This program will provide a broad clinical experience and the opportunity to work alongside the CCF Chiropractic team. Housed within the Wellness Division, this also boasts such services as Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Holistic Psychotherapy, Reiki and Masso-therapy. The student intern will have to opportunity to experience a true hospital environment with full support and referrals from within the Wellness Division and throughout the hospital. This will provide the intern a wide array of patient case experiences as they will be part of a multi-doctor approach to patient care. The goal of this rotation is to provide a diverse learning environment and help prepare the student to take on even the toughest cases with confidence and competence.

CHIROPRACTIC MENTORSHIP PROGRAM (CMP) - Interns who have completed all graduation credit requirements, except for their last 40% of required hours in IP3, and complete other IP3 course requirements, have the opportunity to complete these hours shadowing a practicing chiropractor. This is a program whereby an intern may learn more about a practice, its business operations by shadowing a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic in their day-to-day patient management and business operations. Applications for students and doctors are available from the CBI Department. Interested students should contact the CBI Department one trimester in advance, i.e., at the beginning of IP2. Only hours may be accrued in this rotation.