Are Chiropractors Doctors? What the DC Degree Really Means
Are chiropractors doctors? Tested in court — most recently upheld in 2023. Judge the title yourself: 20 countries, every claim sourced.
What the DC degree really means
This article makes a claim that gets argued in waiting rooms and on Reddit, and that has even been tested in court: that a chiropractor is a doctor. The courts upheld it — most recently in 2023. So instead of asking you to take our word, we did what a court would do: we examined the evidence. Below you'll find the training requirements behind the title in 20 countries, the regulators that protect it, and the rulings that settled it — every claim sourced.
We put together this comparison so you can judge the title for yourself. It is based on the official admission requirements and program descriptions of universities and regulators in 20 countries — primary sources only, every link re-checked on 29-08-2026. Every claim in the table and the text points to its source [n] at the bottom of this article. If you are deciding whether chiropractic care is right for you, this is what the letters behind a chiropractor's name actually mean.
Doctors of chiropractic: two training paths
A DC is a first-line provider for the spine and the nervous system, focused on the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal complaints. A medical doctor (MD) has a medical degree, can prescribe medication, and can perform surgery. Both are regulated professions with their own training paths and scopes of practice.
There is also a third path worth knowing: in several countries chiropractic graduates earn a Master's degree instead of a doctorate (for example the Master of Chiropractic, MChiro, in the UK and Hong Kong[14], or the Master of Chiropractic Medicine in Switzerland[3]). The title varies by country, and so does the length of the training. In New Zealand the program is a bachelor’s degree (Bachelor of Chiropractic) — yet graduates there are legally addressed as ‘Dr.’. The title and the degree are two different things.
Within the Netherlands, the title 'Dr.' for chiropractors is approved by the Dutch courts — repeatedly tested and still upheld as recently as 2023. 'Doctor' is a family of doctorate degrees, not one single title: a DC is a Doctor of Chiropractic, an MD is a Doctor of Medicine, a DDS is a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and a PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy — different paths, each ending in a doctorate.
Chiropractic education worldwide: 20 countries compared
The table below compares the duration, the degree, and the entry requirements of accredited chiropractic programs in 20 countries. The most striking finding: Canada is the only country where the doctorate requires three years of bachelor's study first (GPA and interview), a 12-month clinical internship, and national board exams[1]. In total, that is 7 to 8 years of study, required, not optional.
| Country | Duration | Degree | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7-8 years required | Doctorate (DC) | Min. 3 years of bachelor's study required (GPA + interview); 87% of entrants already hold a completed bachelor's |
| United States | 6-7 required, typically 7-8 | Doctorate (DC) | 90 college credits, degree not required |
| Switzerland | 6 years | Master of Chiropractic Medicine | High school; first 4 yrs = full human-medicine curriculum |
| South Africa | 6 years | Master's (MHSc) | High school (4-yr BHSc + professional master's) |
| Australia | 5 years | Master's / double bachelor's | High school |
| Denmark | 5 years | Master's (MSc) | High school |
| France | 5 years | Professional diploma, master's level (RNCP 7) | High school |
| New Zealand | 5 years | Bachelor of Chiropractic | High school |
| Spain | 5 years | Dual degree (Degree + Master) | High school |
| Malaysia | 5 years | Bachelor's (BSc Hons) | High school |
| Sweden | 5 years (300 ECTS) | Professional chiropractor degree | High school (science prerequisites) |
| Brazil | 4 years | Bachelor's | High school |
| Japan | 4 years | Doctorate (DC) | High school |
| Hong Kong | 4 years | Master's (MChiro, UK campus) | High school |
| United Kingdom | 4 years | Master of Chiropractic (MChiro) | High school |
| Mexico | 4 years | Licenciatura | High school |
| Chile | 3 years after a prior health degree | Licenciatura + professional title | Prior health degree required |
| Turkey | 2 years (master's) | Master's | Prior bachelor's |
| South Korea | ~6-7 (4 + 2-3 graduate) | DC + MS via graduate school | Undergraduate + graduate |
| Germany | ~5 years (private) | MSc | High school; not ECCE-accredited |
Three rows carry caveats: the South Korea graduate duration is an estimate; Turkey's admission prerequisites follow the standard master's entry; and Spain's regulatory status is officially unclear even though its education data is solid. Every row links to its source: click the country name to open it.
Chiropractic education: the academic programs behind the title
Canada: the bachelor's-first doctorate
The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) requires at least three full years of study in a university bachelor's program with a GPA of 3.00 and an interview, then four years of full-time chiropractic study including a 12-month clinical internship. The fourth year is a full-time clinical internship: roughly 1,000 hours of mentored patient care at CMCC's teaching clinics — including placements at St. Michael's Hospital and Sunnybrook's St. John's Rehab, where interns work alongside other health professionals[36] — plus a clinical laboratory clerkship in which students practise venipuncture — drawing blood from each other, real people, not just training arms — and run diagnostic tests such as urinalysis[35][37], x-ray interpretation and reporting, and diagnostic imaging such as MRI and ultrasound. Students also complete the three national board exams of the Canadian Chiropractic Examining Board in the same year[35]. About 87% of entrants already hold a completed bachelor's degree[1]. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession in Canada: after the national board exams, graduates are licensed by the regulatory college of the province where they practise, which protects the title by law[30].
The United States: long by practice, flexible by rule
The NBCE states that training generally takes about 7 to 8 years: four undergraduate years followed by three to five at chiropractic college, plus a clinical internship. The hard minimum is lower: 90 transferable semester units with no degree required, which is why the range is 6-7 required and typically 7-8 in practice[2]. Chiropractic is regulated by law in the United States (WFC legal status 'a')[17], and programs must be accredited by the CCE — which requires at least 4,200 instructional hours[2].
Switzerland: chiropractic inside medicine
The University of Zurich runs a 6-year program in Chiropractic Medicine: the first four years include the full curriculum of the Human Medicine program. Graduates earn a Bachelor of Medicine and then a Master of Chiropractic Medicine, and a dissertation can add the title Dr. med. chiro[3].
The UK, Denmark and Australia: the same regulated model
North America sets the regulated standard — Canada licenses chiropractors through provincial regulatory colleges and the United States regulates the profession by law, as the two programs above show. Three other countries follow the same model. The UK regulates chiropractors through the General Chiropractic Council (GCC), the statutory regulator under the Chiropractors Act 1994[32]: the Master of Chiropractic at Health Sciences University (AECC) in Bournemouth is a four-year, full-time program accredited by both the GCC and the ECCE[31]. In Australia, Macquarie University's combined Bachelor of Chiropractic Science and Master of Chiropractic (about five years) is accredited by the CCEA, and graduates register nationally with the Chiropractic Board of Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law[33]. Denmark teaches chiropractic at a public university — SDU's five-year BSc/MSc program, ECCE-accredited since 1999[6] — where chiropractors are authorized healthcare professionals under the Danish Patient Safety Authority[34].
South Africa and Germany: the two edges
South Africa requires a 4-year Bachelor of Health Sciences followed by a professional master's, about 6 years in total, with registration through the AHPCSA[4]. Germany is the counterexample: a private MSc exists, but chiropractic is not an accredited ECCE program there and is not a regulated medical profession, so practitioners work under the healer law (Heilpraktikergesetz)[18].
What this means when you choose a chiropractor
Education length and degree titles vary by country, so the letters after a name say less than the training behind them. Useful questions when you visit a new practice: where did the chiropractor train, how many years did the program take, and with which professional register are they licensed? In the Netherlands, registered chiropractors are listed in the register of the SNRC or the SCN; the professional associations are the DCF and the NCA[19][20][23][28].
Dr. Stephen Malone trained at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Saskatchewan — Canadian board certified, on the route with the strictest admission requirements and the longest required training (7-8 years) of the twenty countries in this comparison. In our practice in Alphen aan den Rijn, Amersfoort, and Rotterdam, more than 2,500 people have been treated over 12+ years, with an average Google rating of 4.9 out of 5. When choosing a chiropractor, also check the registration: in the Netherlands, the title 'chiropractor' is not protected. Registered chiropractors (SNRC or SCN) completed an accredited program, follow continuing education, and fall under an independent complaints board — how to tell the difference is explained in ‘How to Recognize a Properly Trained Chiropractor’. During your first visit, we assess your complaints and explain how we work, so you can decide with all the facts in front of you.
Most Dutch health insurers (partially) reimburse chiropractic care without touching your deductible.
Check your coverage“Stephan is honestly such an easy going person. I loved how easily time flew by during our sessions. He is naturally curious, asks a lot of questions, and connects the dots quickly solving your problem. His Rotterdam…”Read the full review
“Stephan is honestly such an easy going person. I loved how easily time flew by during our sessions. He is naturally curious, asks a lot of questions, and connects the dots quickly solving your problem. His Rotterdam location is new besides his other existing popular locations, but that just means you can still grab a spot while it lasts. I can trustfully recommend him if you are in search of a chiropractor!”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are chiropractors doctors?
Yes — a chiropractor who has earned the D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) degree is a doctor. As this article shows, not every chiropractic program leads to that doctorate: some award a master's (such as the MChiro in the UK and Hong Kong) or a bachelor's degree (such as the Bachelor of Chiropractic in New Zealand). The D.C. is a real doctorate in its own field, just as an MD is a Doctor of Medicine and a DDS is a Doctor of Dental Surgery. In the Netherlands, chiropractors are registered with the SNRC and represented by the professional bodies DCF and NCA; the DCF is the Dutch representative of the ICA (International Chiropractors Association).
Do chiropractors go to medical school?
Chiropractic school is its own postgraduate program that grants the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. It is a different program from medical school — but accredited programs are of similar length and rigor. While both paths offer similar training in basic sciences, chiropractors are specialists with superior hours of training in anatomy, physiology, neurology, orthopedics, and radiology. Medical school training provides greater hours of training in chemistry, pathology, pharmacology, and obstetrics. In most countries students enter from high school and study 4 to 6 years; Canada requires a bachelor's degree first (7-8 years total), and Switzerland's program includes the full human-medicine curriculum in its first four years. Many healthcare professionals outside chiropractic are unfamiliar with this training — a lack of familiarity that is a likely source of friction when chiropractic comes up between professions. Adding to the confusion, there are examples of people using the title 'chiropractor' without an accredited education — a practice that creates problems for accredited chiropractic doctors as well. It is exactly why we explain the training behind the title so clearly.
Are chiropractors real doctors?
Yes — the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is a real doctoral degree, the most extensive of the routes this article compares. The English word 'doctor' has two honest meanings: the title earned with a doctorate — a DC is a doctor of chiropractic, just as an MD is a doctor of medicine — and the everyday word for a medical doctor. A chiropractor is the first: the specialist for the spine, joints and nervous system, trained in its own postgraduate program. The two are different specialties with different paths, and the section 'Doctors of chiropractic: two training paths' above shows exactly how they compare. 'Doctor' is a family name, not a single job title: a PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy, a DDS a Doctor of Dental Surgery, an MD a Doctor of Medicine — and a DC is a Doctor of Chiropractic. Different paths, each ending in a doctorate. In the Netherlands, the title 'Dr.' for chiropractors has been court-approved repeatedly — still upheld in 2023 — with the full legal trail in the sources of this article.
What degree do chiropractors have?
The degree varies by country — which is exactly the point of this article. North America and Japan award a doctorate (Doctor of Chiropractic, DC); most of Europe awards a master's (such as the MChiro in the UK and Hong Kong, or the Master of Chiropractic Medicine in Switzerland, which opens with four years of the human-medicine curriculum); and some countries award a bachelor's — the Bachelor of Chiropractic in New Zealand, where graduates are still legally addressed as 'Dr.' because the title and the degree are two different things (see the sources below). The DC is the most extensive route — four academic years on top of earlier university study, up to 7-8 years in total where three years of bachelor's study are required first, as in Canada. It is the route Dr. Stephen Malone completed at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
Why do chiropractors call themselves doctors?
Because they hold a doctorate: the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). Using 'Dr.' is the accurate reflection of a doctorate-level professional qualification — the same way an MD is a Doctor of Medicine and a PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy. A chiropractor is a doctor of chiropractic — the specialist for the spine, joints and nervous system. The two titles describe different specialties, and the section 'Doctors of chiropractic: two training paths' above shows how the paths compare.
Are chiropractors legally allowed to use the title 'Dr.' in the Netherlands?
Yes. 'Dr.' is the abbreviated academic title of the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. Dutch courts have repeatedly confirmed Doctor of Chiropractic as a title that may be used by those who hold the degree — a criminal court ruled in 2014 that a degree earned abroad may be used in the Netherlands in the same way as in the country of issue (ECLI:NL:GHARL:2014:3048), and in 2023 the Public Prosecution Service confirmed the same: chiropractors using 'Dr.' may be confusing — and relieving that confusion is exactly what this article does, by explaining throughout the difference between a medical doctor and a Doctor of Chiropractic.
Is the title 'chiropractor' protected in the Netherlands?
The title Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is protected — it belongs to graduates of accredited programs, as this article explains. The word 'chiropractor', on its own, does not necessarily mean Doctor of Chiropractic. The title 'chiropractor' itself has no legal protection — and the reason is structural: the Netherlands has no chiropractic post-secondary program of its own, so there is no educational standard to uphold, and without one, the title cannot be protected. That is a Dutch exception: in the UK, Canada, the US, Australia, Denmark and elsewhere, where chiropractic education programs exist, the degree title is protected by law, and that recognition extends legally into the Netherlands from those countries. It is a formality — a gap in the system, not in the profession. So check the qualifications of the practitioner (DC), not 'Chiropractor'. In the Netherlands, registration is the standard you can check: a registered chiropractor (SNRC or SCN) completed an accredited program. The article 'How to Recognize a Properly Trained Chiropractor' shows you the three checks.
Sources
The data in the table and the text comes from the official program pages, registers, and regulators themselves — no secondary sources. Every link was re-checked live on 29-08-2026. The numbers [n] in the table and the text point to the source of that claim.
Programs and universities
- [1] Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC), Canada — admission requirements: bachelor's required (min. 3 years, GPA 3.00, interview), clinical internship, national board exams
- [2] National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), United States — training length (typically 7-8 years) and the 90-transferable-credits minimum
- [3] University of Zurich, Switzerland — 6-year Chiropractic Medicine program, first four years a full human-medicine curriculum
- [4] University of Johannesburg, South Africa — 4-year Bachelor of Health Sciences + professional master's, registration through the AHPCSA
- [5] Murdoch University, Australia — Bachelor of Health Science + Master of Clinical Chiropractic (entry from high school)
- [6] University of Southern Denmark (SDU) — bachelor's and master's in Clinical Biomechanics (the Danish chiropractic program), entry from high school
- [7] IFEC, France — 5-year initial training (RNCP 7)
- [8] New Zealand College of Chiropractic — five-year Bachelor of Chiropractic
- [9] Real Centro Universitario Escorial-María Cristina, Spain — Título Superior en Quiropráctica + Máster (a private title; regulatory status officially unclear)
- [10] IMU University, Malaysia — BSc (Hons) Chiropractic, CCEA-accredited
- [11] Skandinaviska Kiropraktorhögskolan, Sweden — program plan (300 ECTS, science prerequisites)
- [12] Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, Brazil — bachelor's degree (Bacharelado em Quiropraxia)
- [13] Tokyo College of Chiropractic, Japan — 4-year program
- [15] Universidad Estatal del Valle de Ecatepec (UNEVE), Mexico — undergraduate Licenciatura en Quiropráctica degree
- [16] Universidad Central de Chile — Quiropraxia program: 9 trimesters, prior health degree required
- [18] European Chiropractic Academy, Germany — private training, not ECCE-accredited
Accreditation, registers, and legal status
- [14] European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE) — accredited programs (incl. Denmark, Hong Kong, United Kingdom)
- [17] World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) — legal status by country (incl. Spain, Turkey, South Korea)
- [19] Stichting Nationaal Register van Chiropractoren (SNRC), Netherlands — national professional register
- [20] Dutch Chiropractic Federation (DCF), Netherlands — professional federation
- [21] Court of Appeal Arnhem-Leeuwarden, 11-04-2014 (ECLI:NL:GHARL:2014:3048) — a criminal court confirmed that a Doctor of Chiropractic degree earned abroad may be used in the Netherlands as 'Dr.' (art. 7.23(4) WHW)
- [22] NTVG, Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2023;167:C5512 — the Public Prosecution Service: chiropractors using 'Dr.' is 'confusing but not punishable' (2023 dismissal)
- [23] NCA (Nederlandse Chiropractoren Associatie), Netherlands — chiropractors' professional association
- [24] International Chiropractors Association (ICA) — international professional association; the DCF represents its members in the Netherlands (see also [20])
- [25] Coulter ID, Adams AH, Coggan P, Wilkes M, Gonyea M. “A Comparative Study of Chiropractic and Medical Education.” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1998;4(5):64-75 — RAND EP-199809-05; also on PubMed (9737032) — basic sciences comparable in subjects and hours; chiropractic devotes more hours to anatomy, physiology, neurology, orthopedics, and radiology
- [26] Chapman-Smith D. The Chiropractic Profession. NCMIC Group, 2000 (ISBN 978-189273402-0) — full text on archive.org — source of the comparative hour table
- [27] Court of Appeal The Hague, 31-01-2017 (ECLI:NL:GHDHA:2017:2103) — the title 'chiropractor' is not protected and does not conflict with the BIG act
- [28] Stichting Chiropractie Nederland (SCN) — quality register for chiropractors
- [29] New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association, ‘Clarification on use of the term Dr’, New Zealand Medical Journal — chiropractors are entitled to use the title ‘Dr.’; the honorary title refers to a registered chiropractor, not a medical practitioner (archived copy: the journal site is temporarily offline)
- [30] Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) — chiropractic is a provincially regulated health profession in Canada: provincial licensing authorities, standards of practice and CCEB national board exams
- [31] Health Sciences University (AECC), United Kingdom — Master of Chiropractic (MChiro), four years full-time, accredited by the GCC and the ECCE
- [32] GOV.UK Regulated Professions Register — chiropractor is a regulated profession in the UK; the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) is the statutory regulator (Chiropractors Act 1994)
- [33] Macquarie University, Australia — combined Bachelor of Chiropractic Science and Master of Chiropractic, CCEA-accredited; national registration with the Chiropractic Board of Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (AHPRA register)
- [34] Danish Patient Safety Authority (STPS) — chiropractor is a registered healthcare profession in Denmark (authorization)
- [35] CMCC Year IV Clinical Internship — the fourth year is a full-time clinical internship: supervised patient care, clinical laboratory clerkship (blood and lab work), x-ray interpretation and reporting, diagnostic imaging (MRI, ultrasound), plus the national board exams
- [36] CMCC Clinics — Year IV students complete 1,000 clinic hours of mentored patient care at CMCC teaching clinics, including placements at St. Michael's Hospital and St. John's Rehab (Sunnybrook)
- [37] CMCC Bookstore — urinalysis test strips (the diagnostic test kits used in the clinical laboratory training)
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