Every approved UK chiropractic education programme meets new standards

This milestone marks the culmination of 18 month's of hard work by all the UK Education providers to align their courses to the new standards in time for the 2024 intake of students.

Over the spring and summer 2024, the appointed Education Visitors considered a substantial body of evidence and documentation from each UK provider, before meeting senior managers, lecturers and tutors from each institution.

Following their in-depth evaluation, and recommendations, the Education Committee agreed in July to the ongoing recognition of every programme – meaning that every provider meets the standards across every approved programme.

The Education Standards were published in March 2023 and provide clarity on the GCC’s expectation of graduates practising in the UK.

The Education Standards define the:

• level and nature of the degree programme
• outcomes that students need to achieve 
• nature of the clinical experience and practice that students need to have before they can qualify with a chiropractic degree. 

Chiropractic students, at the point of graduation, will be equipped for the demands of independent practice or employment in various roles or settings. Students will be taught evidence-based practice: integrating individual clinical expertise; the best available evidence from current and credible clinical research; and the values and preferences of patients. Programmes that meet the Education Standards teach ethical, professional care and produce competent healthcare professionals who can serve the needs of patients.

Since the launch of the new Education Standards, the GCC has worked with each provider, on an individual basis, to support their transition to meeting the new Standards. We recognise the hard work this entailed and congratulate all five providers on their achievement:

Health Sciences University (AECC School Of Chiropractic)	London South Bank University	McTimoney College of Chiropractic	Teeside University	University of South Wales (The Welsh Institute of Chiropractic)

The GCC is also working with several education providers applying for approval of new chiropractic courses, to ensure that their proposals meet the Education Standards (2023).