Doctor of Chiropractic

Accreditation Program Learning Outcomes Admissions Application Requirements Academic Requirements Physical Requirements Transfer Students from Other Chiropractic Programs

Degree Requirements Tuition and Fees Refund Policy Doctor of Chiropractic−10-Term (Fall or Spring)   Doctor of Chiropractic−12-Term (Fall Start)   Doctor of Chiropractic−12-Term (Spring Start)   Doctor of Chiropractic: Sports Medicine Emphasis Selective Track

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Los Angeles College of Chiropractic offers a 10-trimester (three years and four months), full-time Doctor of Chiropractic Program. Beginning in the seventh trimester, students gain hands-on clinical experience treating patients. Students and graduates of the Doctor of Chiropractic Program are eligible to sit for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) licensure examinations.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Program at SCU is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), 8049 N. 85^th Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85258-4321. Phone: (480) 443-8877.

The Doctor of Chiropractic Program at SCU is also approved by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

Program Learning Outcomes

Assessment and Diagnosis

The graduate will be able to utilize appropriate clinical reasoning skills to accurately assess and diagnose patient conditions.

Management Plan

The graduate will be able to develop, implement, and monitor a comprehensive patient care plan.

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

The graduate will be able to apply epidemiological principles to promote health and prevent disease.

Communication and Record Keeping

The graduate will be able to communicate professionally.

Professional Ethics and Jurisprudence

The graduate will be able to exhibit legal and ethical behavior as a health care professional.

Information and Technology Literacy

The graduate will be able to locate, evaluate, and integrate research with other evidence to manage health related issues.

Chiropractic Manipulation

The graduate will be able to deliver appropriate, safe, and effective chiropractic manipulation.

Inter-professional Collaboration

The graduate will have the skills to coordinate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals as a member of an inter-professional healthcare team to plan and manage patient-centered care.

Admissions

Upon submission of the online application form and the application fee, applicants are contacted by an admissions advisor to assist with the process. It is suggested that applicants submit other application items within two or three weeks of the online application.

Applicants should apply approximately one year prior to their anticipated entry date. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis as space permits, and early submissions are encouraged. Only applications complete with all required documents will be reviewed.

Application Requirements

Applicants for admission must provide:

• Completed application for admission. The online form is available and submitted through www.scuhs.edu
• Graduating high school transcript. Request from the high school to have it sent directly to SCU in a sealed envelope. Official digital transcripts can be provided through external or third party vendors such as: Credential Solutions, eTranscriptCA, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment, etc. through parchment.com or studentclearinghouse.org
• AP Exam Scores (if applicable). Order from the College Board and have them sent directly to SCU.
• Official transcripts from each college and/or university previously attended, showing all course work completed or in progress. Request from each college and/or university to have it sent directly to SCU in a sealed envelope. Official digital transcripts can be provided through external or third party vendors such as: Credential Solutions, eTranscriptCA, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment, etc.
• If you attended an international institution you must have transcripts evaluated into the U.S. grading system through WES (www.WES.org).
• Personal statement of motivation, minimum of 300 words (include a personal history and indication of why you are pursuing the chiropractic degree program, your understanding of the field, and a summary of your academic background and strengths and how they have prepared you for the chiropractic degree). Include in the online application and/or email separately.
• Two letters of recommendation (these cannot be from a relative and it is preferable that at least one is from a doctor of chiropractic). Letters should be mailed by each author directly to SCU.

Please have transcripts, letters of recommendation, and/or other print items mailed to:

SCU Office of Admissions
16200 Amber Valley Drive
Whittier, CA 90604

Scans and other electronic items may be emailed to an admissions advisor or to admissions@scuhs.edu

Applicants must also complete a successful admissions interview:

• A personal interview with a member of the Faculty Admissions Committee will be required of applicants prior to final selection. This personal admissions interview will normally be scheduled on campus. Under certain circumstances, an off-campus or telephone admissions interview may be arranged.

Applicants with prerequisites in progress must complete them prior to the starting date of classes and official transcripts showing such course work must follow in a timely manner. Students who have not submitted final transcripts prior to the start of the first day of classes will receive a provisional acceptance into the Doctor of Chiropractic Program. The student must have a completed admissions file within 30 days of the start of the trimester. If the student does not have a complete admissions file by the 30^th day, the student may be subject to Administrative Withdrawal from the program and will be responsible for any tuition due. Application and enrollment fees shall be valid for a maximum period of twelve months; which corresponds to three enrollment periods.

International Students

Graduates of the French Chiropractic Propedeutique program at the Faculte Libre de Paris, the Richmond College of London Pre-professional program, the Swiss Matura and First Medical Propedeutical program or the pre-chiropractic program of Odense University, Denmark, or other CCE-approved programs should submit to the Office of Admission the documentation required by their country.

Academic Requirements

In order to qualify for admission to the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) Doctor of Chiropractic program (DCP), students should demonstrate goals, abilities, and character consistent with the University’s mission.

• 90 college semester or 135 quarter units from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent foreign agency.
  • Prospective students must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the cumulative or last 90 semester* units of prerequisite course work to be considered for admission under the standard curriculum track.
  • *If students do not meet the GPA requirements based on the cumulative or last 90 semester unit calculation, an appeal can be made to the Program Dean or designee.
• Prerequisite science course requirement: 24 college semester units total of life and/or physical sciences completed within the last seven years. The seven year requirement is waived for applicants who have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree with a 3.00 GPA, and may be waive under other circumstances as determined by the Dean.
  • 12 semester units must have a lab component
  • One course in the biological sciences (such as biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, or other related courses)

The student’s undergraduate preparation must also include a well-rounded general education program in the humanities and social sciences, and other coursework deemed relevant by the DCP for students to successfully complete the DCP curriculum.

A maximum of 20 semester units of a candidate’s pre-professional academic requirements may be acquired through College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations or through challenged courses (except for the 24 units of the sciences).

The DCP encourages interested applicants to apply, and reserves the right to conduct a holistic review of applicants and accept students the program believes likely to succeed.

Students for whom English is not their primary language must demonstrate English competency by scoring at least 500 (paper based) or 173 (computer based) or 61 (iBT based on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and at least the current mean score on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) if they did not take the iBT based test. English as a “primary language” is defined as graduation from a high school whose primary mode of instruction was English, or graduation from a high school where English is the official language of the country. All other applicants must demonstrate English competency as described here.

Alternative Admission Track Plan

Prospective students whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 2.75 to 2.99 on a 4.0 scale for the cumulative or last 90 semester* units of prerequisite course work may be considered for admission to the alternative admission track plan (AATP).”:

• No student is to be admitted who has completed fewer than 90 semester units and/or has a GPA for these 90 semester units of less than 2.75 on a 4.0 scale completed within the last 7 years. The seven year requirement is waived for applicants who have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree with a 3.00 GPA, and may be waived under other circumstances as determined by the Dean.
• *If students do not meet the GPA requirements based on the cumulative or last 90 semester unit calculation, an appeal can be made to the Program Dean or designee.
• Successful completion of one course in biological sciences (such as biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, or other related courses).
• The DCP encourages interested applicants to apply, and reserves the right to conduct a holistic review of applicants and accept students the program believes likely to succeed.
• While attending SCU, students must participate in a prescribed academic success program designed to optimize the ability of AATP students to succeed in the program. This consists of:
  • a 12-term DC program track (or other further reduced schedule);
  • counseling with a university learning specialist regarding their individual academic performance;
  • an academic plan detailing expected performance standards to remain enrolled in the DC program;
  • regular meetings with their faculty advisor(s), learning specialist, and/or academic counselor to discuss progress towards academic goals;
  • participation in prescribed mentoring/tutoring;
  • attend prescribed workshops focusing on learning and academic success.

Contact the Office of Admissions for more information about the Alternative Admission Track Plan.

Physical Requirements

The primary goal of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic is to prepare students to become competent, caring doctors of chiropractic. Contemporary chiropractic education requires that the acquisition and utilization of scientific and professional knowledge be accompanied by necessary sets of skills, professional attitudes, and behavior.

Los Angeles College of Chiropractic maintains that prospective and enrolled students must meet certain technical standards, which are essential for successful completion of all phases of the educational program. Candidates for the doctor of chiropractic degree must meet the following technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations. Candidates for admission and students must demonstrate:

1. The strength, coordination, and ability to stand and use the torso and all limbs in the performance of common chiropractic manual procedures and techniques.
2. The strength, manual dexterity, and tactile perceptiveness and ability to perform in all laboratory and clinical settings, to diagnose and treat human ailments, and to maintain the safety and wellbeing of fellow students and patients without posing a threat to themselves.
3. The visual, hearing and speech skills and personal hygiene requisite to professional performance including reading all forms of diagnostic imaging, using microscopes, eliciting and recording patient histories, performing all auscultatory exams, and performing any and all other diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
4. The ability to reason, learn, and perform independently demonstrating the conceptual, integrative, and quantitative skills that are necessary for critical thinking, problem solving, measurement, calculation, the ability to comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships, diagnosis, and therapeutic applications.
5. The emotional health required for the full use of intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, and the prompt and safe completion of all responsibilities; the ability to adapt to change, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties and stressful situations; empathy, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation which will be assessed during the admissions process and throughout their education.

Transfer Students from Other Chiropractic Programs

Southern California University of Health Sciences may accept credits of students transferring from chiropractic colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). Such transfer students must meet the current admission requirements in effect at SCU. Transfer students are advised that, on the basis of such transfer credits, they may be ineligible for licensure in one or more states and/or other countries. Additionally, any student transferring to SCU’s Doctor of Chiropractic Program must have earned not less than the last 25% of their total credits leading to the doctor of chiropractic degree from SCU in order to receive a diploma from SCU.

Transfer students must submit a letter of good standing from the previous chiropractic institution attended. All advanced standing courses are subject to approval by the dean of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic.

Evaluation and Placement

Evaluation and placement of transfer students shall be made by the dean of LACC upon receipt of the following by the SCU Office of Admissions:

• Official transcripts from the transferring student’s previous institution;
• Copy of high school transcripts or diploma;
• Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended;
• Catalog of the transferring student’s college or university so that courses equivalent in content and quality to those taught at LACC may be evaluated and accepted;
• Letter of good standing from the previous chiropractic institution attended;
• All general requirements for admission (Note: a minimum of 25% of LACC’s educational program must be completed at SCU by each transfer student to qualify to receive a diploma from SCU);
• For certain courses, a fee will be assessed for competency testing. Please contact the dean of LACC for details.

Degree Requirements

The doctor of chiropractic degree may be conferred upon those who have fulfilled the following requirements:

1. Are 21 years of age and exhibit good moral character;
2. Spent at least 10 terms of resident study as a matriculated chiropractic student in an accredited college of which the final 25% of the total credits required must be from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic;
3. Completed all courses in the curriculum (or their equivalent) and met minimal hours of attendance at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic;
4. Demonstrated at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average from courses at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic;
5. Fulfilled the clinical internship requirements as stated in the Intern Manual;
6. Are free of all indebtedness and other obligations to the University; and
7. Are recommended for graduation by the faculty and the president of the University.

Tuition and Fees

For current tuition and fees, refer to the published Tuition and Fees schedule. Tuition and Fees are approved by the Board of Regents annually. The University reserves the right to adjust tuition and/or fees. Financial compliance must be met each term in order to maintain future registration status.

Refund Policy

Students are not entitled to a refund for units dropped after the close of the official “Add-Drop” period.

In the event a student must withdraw or take a program leave, a partial refund of the term tuition may be available. The percentage of tuition student is responsible for is based on the number of calendar days elapsed between the first day of the term and the official withdrawal/leave date provided by the Registrar department.

No attendance: 0% Tuition responsibility
1-10 days: 10% Tuition responsibility
11-26 days: 25% Tuition responsibility
27-52 days: 50% Tuition responsibility
+52 days: 100% Tuition responsibility (no refund)

*** Fees and reservation deposit are non-refundable