Chiropractic School Mission & History

Mission

The College of Chiropractic prepares doctors of chiropractic as leaders for the delivery and advancement of natural and holistic approaches to patient-centered health care through excellence in education, professional and scholarly activity, clinical service and community engagement.

The Doctor of Chiropractic Program contributes to the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the University by advancing chiropractic health care through education, scholarly activity, and clinical and community service, and by:

  • Providing educational resources and opportunities for students to obtain the knowledge, skills and attributes to practice chiropractic effectively, ethically and safely as a portal-of-entry, primary-care doctor
  • Advancing scholarship within the chiropractic profession by supporting University research efforts, advocating scholarly activity within the curriculum, and promoting the utilization and interpretation of evidence in clinical practice
  • Providing clinical relevance and experience throughout the curriculum, active-participation internships in a mentor-model delivery of clinical services, and interdisciplinary practice and externship opportunities
  • Providing community outreach programs with the aim to develop a lasting commitment to public service

History

Founded in 1941 as the Northwestern College of Chiropractic, it is the foundation for the chiropractic profession in Minnesota.

Dr. John B. Wolfe, a civil engineer turned doctor of chiropractic, started a new college with the help of one colleague and three students. He founded the college to respond to the need for a school that offered a broad program in clinical, chiropractic, and basic sciences. By 1949, a postwar influx of veterans raised the enrollment to 280.

Northwestern prospered as a school because of its rigorous academic program and the quality of the students and faculty. As more doctors of chiropractic graduated from Northwestern, the profession grew, and they referred more students to the school.

Seven decades later we’re still here – bigger and more influential than ever – with:

    • A strong emphasis on the basic sciences
    • A diverse approach to instruction in chiropractic techniques
    • A body systems approach to the clinical sciences
    • A broad perspective on chiropractic scope-of-practice
    • A community-based internship program
    • A final trimester internship in chiropractic clinics in the U.S. and many foreign countries
    • A successful clinical research program