Doctor of Chiropractic – Phoenix Metro
Overview
By diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders through manual spinal adjustments and other evidence-informed approaches, chiropractors help improve nervous system function, reduce pain, restore mobility, and support the body’s natural ability to heal and perform at its best.
SCU’s Doctor of Chiropractic program prepares you for success through an innovative curriculum that accelerates clinical mastery through connected learning, hands-on immersion, and continuous reinforcement—while emphasizing a whole-person approach to care. This streamlined, high-impact educational experience enables you to earn your doctorate and begin practicing in just 32 months (compared to approximately 40 months in many traditional DC programs).
At SCU, we’ve been pioneers in chiropractic education for more than 110 years. Founded in 1911 as the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC), we were one of the nation’s very first chiropractic colleges, challenging convention and advancing the profession long before it was widely known or accepted. Today, that same spirit of innovation continues to shape our curriculum, redefining how modern chiropractors are educated for the future of healthcare.
Program at a Glance
- Accelerated 8-Term Format: full-time, daytime, low-residency (Complete in 2 years and 8 months. Come to campus just 3 times per term for 7-10 days at a time.)
- No bachelor’s degree requirement; ability to enter with 90 or more undergraduate credits and finish your bachelor’s as you complete your Doctor of Chiropractic, with no added time
- An integrated, hands-on curriculum designed to help you learn and retain information more efficiently, develop clinical confidence earlier, and become practice-ready faster
- Choice of three concentrations: Sports Medicine, Women’s Health & Pediatrics, and Functional Medicine.
- Accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education and recognized by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners
- Fixed tuition guarantee, financial aid for those who qualify, and institutional scholarship opportunities
Upcoming Start Dates
- Fall: September 8th, 2026
- Spring: January 4th, 2027
- Summer: May 3rd, 2027
Click on the image above to see our Doctor of Chiropractic program in action.
What Sets Our Program Apart
A CURRICULUM DESIGNED FOR FASTER LEARNING, DEEPER RETENTION, AND EARLIER CLINICAL CONFIDENCE
SCU’s Doctor of Chiropractic curriculum was intentionally designed to reflect how students learn best—and how modern clinicians actually practice. Rather than relying on a traditional educational model built around isolated courses and delayed clinical experiences, our curriculum integrates related concepts, emphasizes active learning, and reinforces knowledge continuously over time.
The result is an educational experience that helps students learn more efficiently and become practice-ready faster.
We’ve strategically combined content that is traditionally separated into disconnected courses. Instead of learning subjects in isolation, you’ll learn related concepts together, in ways that mirror how clinicians actually think and practice.
For example, you’ll study physiology and pathology together in one course—allowing you to learn what normal physiology looks like at the same time you learn how dysfunction and disease develop. You’ll learn anatomy alongside biomechanics, helping you better understand how structure influences movement and function. And you’ll learn diagnosis alongside patient management, helping you develop a more complete understanding of real-world clinical decision-making.
Because chiropractic care is fundamentally hands-on—and chiropractic students tend to be kinesthetic (i.e. hands-on) learners—you’ll spend more time actively applying concepts and less time sitting through traditional lectures.
More than half of your time will be devoted to laboratory training, adjustment and rehabilitation technique practice, simulation-based learning, cadaver lab experiences, physical assessment, diagnostic imaging interpretation, and other practical education.
One of the fastest ways to build clinical confidence is through real patient care. That’s why we integrate real-world patient experiences into every term of your education rather than waiting until the end of the program.
During years one and two, you’ll begin training at SCU Health clinics and other approved community clinics. In year three, you’ll expand your clinical experience through our 100+ partner sites which include private practices, VA hospitals, teaching hospitals, Division 1 athletic programs, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and specialty clinics focused on sports medicine, pediatrics, functional medicine, and integrative healthcare.
Throughout your program, you’ll be reinforcing your learning through advanced educational technology including:
- Force Sensing Tables that provide real-time feedback to refine your adjustment technique and precision
- Complete Anatomy by 3D4Medical for immersive 3D visualization that strengthens your understanding of anatomical structures and systems
- SynDavers that give you hands-on anatomical learning experiences using lifelike synthetic human models
- Draw It to Know It (DITKI) that simplifies memorization and retention through dynamic videos, animations, and digital worksheets
- Diagnostic imaging technology, including X-ray, MRI, and CT, that gives you hands-on experience interpreting advanced imaging for accurate, non-invasive diagnosis
At SCU, board preparation is integrated directly into your educational experience rather than treated as a separate process after coursework ends.
Throughout the program, you’ll continuously revisit prior learning across courses, labs, and clinical experiences—strengthening long-term retention while reducing the need for costly standalone board-review programs.
Known as “Spiral Learning,” this approach helps deepen understanding through repeated exposure, reinforcement, and application over time as you continually build on prior knowledge in new clinical contexts.
Success after graduation requires more than strong clinical skills; it requires business know-how. Through coursework in private practice development, risk mitigation, coding & billing, and more, you’ll gain practical skills for establishing, operating, and sustaining a successful practice and career from day one.
ABILITY TO ENTER WITHOUT A BACHELOR’S—AND EARN ONE ALONG THE WAY
At SCU, you may enter the Doctor of Chiropractic program with as few as 90 qualifying undergraduate credits—no bachelor’s or master’s required. In addition, our embedded bachelor’s program enables you to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) and a Doctor of Chiropractic simultaneously, within the same timeframe as the doctorate alone.
OPPORTUNITIES TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR DEGREE
Tailor portions of your educational experience through specialized concentrations designed to deepen your expertise and support your career goals. Available concentrations include: Sports Medicine, Women’s Health & Pediatrics, and Functional Medicine.
A UNIQUE INTERPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Most of today’s healthcare colleges offer an “interprofessional education” through which students learn with, from, and about other disciplines. But at SCU, we do it differently. Unlike other colleges, we teach you about both conventional and complementary disciplines—not just one or the other—because we believe in both and we teach both, all under one roof.
During your first year as a DC student, you’ll participate in three Interprofessional Education courses alongside students from other healthcare disciplines—helping you develop the interdisciplinary awareness and team-based perspective essential in modern healthcare.
AN INTEGRATIVE, WHOLE HEALTH APPROACH
At SCU, you’ll learn to go beyond simply treating the body to healing the whole person. You’ll explore how factors such as lifestyle, mental health, relationships, environment, and community influence long-term wellness, while learning to leverage the most appropriate mix of both conventional and complementary approaches to patient care.