Animal Chiropractic · The Kaleidoscope

The two routes in

Each credentialing body set out below admits chiropractors. The AVCA, the IVCA, the College of Animal Chiropractors and Options for Animals also name veterinarians: the AVCA’s examination asks you to Be a current licensed doctor of chiropractic or veterinary medicine in good standing. (AVCA examination), the IVCA’s membership to Be an accredited veterinarian or chiropractor (IVCA membership), the College of Animal Chiropractors, for its certified members, to Be a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic or Veterinary Medicine in good standing and authorized to practice said profession by their respective licensing boards. (CoAC membership), and Options for Animals, for its advanced certification, states Candidates must be doctors of chiropractic or doctors of veterinary medicine. (Options for Animals advanced certification) The Royal College of Chiropractors’ Animal Faculty sets its own membership terms, quoted in its entry below. When a student can begin, and when the credential can be held, are in each body’s entry below.

Doctor of Chiropractic

Finish the DC, get licensed, then take a post-graduate animal chiropractic program. You arrive already fluent in adjusting and in chiropractic principle, and you learn animal anatomy, handling and species-specific biomechanics.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Finish the DVM, get licensed, then take the same post-graduate program. You arrive already fluent in animal anatomy and behavior, and you learn to adjust.

Both routes converge on the same courses and the same exams. They diverge sharply afterwards on what the law permits — see below. A prospective student choosing between DC and DVM because of animals should decide on the strength of the whole career, not on this specialisation alone.

Certification, step by step

The AVCA publishes a comparative claim about itself (About the AVCA). Its certification is administered through its Animal Chiropractic Certification Commission (Certification).

Hold a current, active, good-standing license in chiropractic or veterinary medicine.
Complete a basic post-graduate animal chiropractic program approved by the certifying body's education committee.
Pass that program's exit examination.
Apply to sit the certification examinations.
Pass both a written and a clinical, hands-on practical examination.
Receive certification for a fixed term — three years under the AVCA — and recertify thereafter.

Course length: 210 hours is the floor, not the range. Both bodies set the same minimum. The AVCA requires every approved basic program to provide a minimum of 210 certified hours; the IVCA requires a minimum of 210 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction plus home study. No approved basic program sits below that, and some sit above — Healing Oasis publishes 226. Minnesota separately requires a program of at least 210 hours with a minimum of 30% delivered in person and hands-on. Coursework typically covers anatomy, neurology, biomechanics, pathology, physiology, chiropractic principle, rehabilitation, ethics and legalities, with laboratory work in palpation, adjusting technique, topography, dissection and safe animal handling.

Education and certification run on two different clocks, and they are easy to confuse. Step one above is about being certified, not about enrolling. The IVCA admits chiropractic and veterinary students in their final semester or trimester provided the degree finishes before the course does. Parker admits senior students from trimester seven. Cleveland University-Kansas City states that its own chiropractic students within roughly six months of graduating are eligible to enroll at Options for Animals. None of that changes the certification requirement itself: the ACCC/AVCA requires that the Applicant must hold a current/active (good standing) state/provincial license of chiropractic or of veterinary medicine. (Steps to certification). You can begin the education before you are licensed. You cannot hold the credential before you are licensed. One point sits between the two: the AVCA's examination site publishes a Student Alternative Application process for a student within 6 months or less of graduating degree program at the time of application, and ACCC/AVCA certification examination scores will be withheld until a copy of the candidate’s professional license is received in the AVCA office. ACCC examination site · Student Alternative, read 5 October 2026. One thing that does attach at enrollment rather than at licensure: doctors currently enrolled in an AVCA-approved program are eligible for complimentary AVCA membership, applied for through the association's forms page. It is the earliest point at which any of this becomes free, and it is not mentioned on the pages a prospective student would normally read — see the AVCA entry on the organizations page.

The part that catches people out

Certification is not permission. It is a voluntary credential from a non-government body. What you may actually do with it is set by state law, and state law varies more here than almost anywhere else in chiropractic.

Some states restrict animal work to veterinarians outright.

Others permit certified chiropractors to treat animals but require a referral from a veterinarian on file. Others add registration, fees and separate continuing education on top of your ordinary license renewal.

Two real examples. Minnesota requires a qualifying program of at least 210 hours, registration with the state board, a $200 initial application and $100 annual renewal, six additional hours of animal-specific continuing education every year, a veterinarian's referral kept in the animal's record — and, if you treat animals and humans in the same building, a posted sign in reception and a separate non-carpeted room for adjusting animals. Oklahoma requires registered animal chiropractors to complete 20 hours of AVCA-certified continuing education every three years, on top of the 16 hours a year the ordinary license already demands.

Check the board rules for the state you intend to practice in before you enroll in anything. Not the state you are studying in. The rules that matter are the ones where you will work, and a program that qualifies you in one jurisdiction may not clear the bar in another.

Every AVCA-approved basic program, in one place

Search for animal chiropractic certification and every result on the first page is owned by somebody selling a course or the credential itself. Nobody publishes the comparison, because everyone who could is in it. So here it is — the full list of programs currently approved by the AVCA education committee, taken from the AVCA's own published listing rather than from any program's marketing.

Program	Location	Hours	Format	Stated emphasis
Options for Animals	Wellsville, Kansas, and a UK location	210 minimum, plus home study	Five modules of about four and a half days, taken in order, Wednesday morning to Sunday noon. Completable in about five weeks or spread across up to two years	Also runs a separate advanced certification. On both the AVCA and IVCA lists
Parker University Parker Success Academy	Dallas, Texas	210	Five modules of three days. Two days on campus, third at an offsite equestrian center	Equine and canine
Healing Oasis Wellness Center	Sturtevant, Wisconsin	226	Five modules — one distance-learning, the rest face to face, Wednesday afternoon to Sunday afternoon	Functional and clinical neurology; small and large animals
Health Pioneers Institute	Naperville, Illinois	210	Five modules, Wednesday to Sunday, except module five which runs Tuesday to Sunday	Chiropractic philosophy with functional neurology and applied kinesiology
Animal Chiropractic Education Source ACES	Meridian, Texas	not verified	not verified	not verified
Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Center VCLC	Paris, Ontario, Canada	not verified	not verified	not verified
Backbone-Academy	Kalbe, Germany	not verified	not verified	not verified

How to read this table. The order is not a ranking and carries no judgment — it is not sorted by hours, cost, size or anything else that could be mistaken for a verdict. Every one of these programs publishes more on its own site; read it. Tuition is not given in any row. AVCA program approval is granted in two-year periods, so this list changes — check the AVCA's current listing before enrolling in anything.

One detail nobody puts in a brochure. Parker publishes physical requirements for its program: you need to stand, squat and lift at least 50 pounds unassisted, and step up unassisted onto adjusting bales two and a half feet high. That is a real and reasonable demand of this work, and a student deserves to meet it before paying a deposit rather than on the first morning of a module.

The AVCA and the IVCA do not approve the same programs.

The AVCA approves seven basic programs — the seven above. The IVCA accredits two: Backbone Academy, which it lists for Germany and Australia, and Options for Animals, which it lists for the UK and the USA. Only those two appear on both lists.

If you expect to practice only in North America, that difference may never matter. If you may practice internationally, or want to keep the option open, then choosing a program is often also choosing which credential is available to you at the end — check both lists directly before you enroll.

Health Pioneers Institute states on its own certification page that graduates qualify to sit both the AVCA and the IVCA examinations. The IVCA's accredited-schools listing, last modified in May 2026, does not include it. We have not resolved that and are not going to guess — ask the IVCA directly if this affects your decision.

The College of Animal Chiropractors and the International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic. Both are set out in the credentialing bodies below: the CoAC as an entry from its own pages, and the IAVC in the list table, read from the four lists and its own about page. Neither this page nor its lists claim to be complete.

Every body that awards an animal chiropractic credential, in its own words

A program teaches you; a credentialing body certifies you. These are the bodies we found that award a credential in animal chiropractic and publish, on their own pages, who may hold it and what it costs. Each entry carries the same fields in the same order. They are listed alphabetically, and the order carries no judgment.

How to read these. Absence in what we checked is not absence at the body. Fees and rules change, and several of these bodies run on a fixed examination calendar, so confirm with the body before you budget or book. Three fields matter most if you are still a student: Entry point says who the body admits to its credential, and When can a student begin? and When can the credential be held? answer the two questions separately, because they run on different clocks.

Credentialing body · North America

American Veterinary Chiropractic Association

AVCA · certification through the Animal Chiropractic Certification Commission (ACCC)

The AVCA, established in 1989, is a professional membership group promoting animal chiropractic to professionals and the public, and acting as the certifying agency for doctors who have undergone post-graduate animal chiropractic training. On the commission: The Certification Program is developed and administered by the Animal Chiropractic Certification Commission (ACCC), a certification body of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA). About the AVCA · ACCC examination site

Who it serves: Licensed doctors of chiropractic and of veterinary medicine; students close to graduating, through the examination's student route (see Entry point); doctors enrolled in the programs it approves; and the programs themselves. ACCC examination site · Approved programs
Founded: 1989, as the AVCA publishes it: The AVCA, established in 1989. About the AVCA
Scope: The AVCA publishes a comparative claim about itself (About the AVCA). It approves basic programs: AVCA basic program provider approval is granted for a 2-year period. About the AVCA · Approved programs
Student offering: Two things. Complimentary membership once you are in an approved program: Doctors currently enrolled in approved programs are eligible for a complimentary AVCA membership. And a Student Alternative Application process for the certification examination; see Entry point. Approved programs · Student Alternative
Student membership cost: No student price on the pages we read. Components the AVCA publishes, read 5 October 2026: membership Professional Membership (Voting) $300, Doctor Associate $375, Non-Doctor Associate $125; the 2026 examination fee table lists the written and practical examinations together at $750, the written examination alone at $265 and the practical examination alone at $485, with each retake row carrying the same figure as its first sitting; and withdrawal fees in a separate table, Withdrawal by July 28, 2026 – Refund less $69.00 Processing Fee, and 36% after that date. unverified The recertification fee, which was not on the pages we read. Membership · ACCC examination site
Reachable now, or after licensure?: ACCC/AVCA certification: specialty credential. Pass both the written and clinical (practical) examinations. Awarding body: Applicants receive 3 year certification by the ACCC/AVCA based on fulfillment of all requirements. Steps to certification. The examination, under the Student Alternative Application process. The credential, after licensure. See the two fields below.
Is student pricing published where a student would land?: No student price on the pages read. The examination fee table is on the examination site the AVCA's certification page links to, and dues are on its membership page. Absence on the pages read is not absence at the AVCA. Certification
What they publish: An approved-program list with its provider requirements; certification candidate information, including fees, eligibility and the pass mark, A passing score of 75 must be achieved on both the written and practical examinations.; recertification rules; a forms page; a certified-doctor search. ACCC examination site · Certification · Forms
How a student engages: Read the approved-program list and the candidate information while you are still choosing. The 2026 examination was scheduled for Thursday, September 10, Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026; on 5 October 2026 the site read The 2026 Application is now closed. ACCC examination site
Entry point: A licensed doctor: Be a current licensed doctor of chiropractic or veterinary medicine in good standing. Or a student: If a candidate is a student of veterinary medicine or chiropractic within 6 months or less of graduating degree program at the time of application, you may apply choosing the Student Alternative Application process. Both also need an approved program: approved by the Education Committee of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA). ACCC examination site
When can a student begin?: During school. Under the Student Alternative Application process a student may apply within 6 months or less of graduating degree program at the time of application (ACCC examination site), and Please note any student graduating their professional school after December 31 of this year does not meet the eligibility requirement stated above. (Student Alternative). Program admission is set by each program, and the AVCA sends you to them: Please contact the programs directly for their course information, schedule and fees. Approved programs
When can the credential be held?: After licensure. ACCC/AVCA certification examination scores will be withheld until a copy of the candidate’s professional license is received in the AVCA office. Student may not represent themselves as an AVCA Certified Doctor until they receive official notice of this status from ACCC/AVCA. Student Alternative
On the published lists: The lists we read name programs, not certifying bodies, so the AVCA is not an entry on any of them; the approved-program list is its own. Which programs each list carries is in the table below this block.

animalchiropractic.org · avcaexam.regstep.com · Sources: AVCA about, certification, membership and approved-programs pages; ACCC examination site home and Student Alternative pages. Checked 5 October 2026.

Corrections to this entry: 10 October 2026 · 10 October 2026 · 10 October 2026 · 10 October 2026 · 10 October 2026 · If this is your institution: how this entry was sourced, and how to correct it

Credentialing body · International

College of Animal Chiropractors

CoAC · formerly known as the ‘American Canadian College of Animal Chiropractic’

The CoAC is an international, nonprofit organization promoting excellence in integrated animal health care through the development of the art and science of animal chiropractic. Among its stated objectives: Acting as the agency by which veterinarians and chiropractors are certified in animal chiropractic. About CoAC

Who it serves: Licensed chiropractors and veterinarians who pass its examination (see Entry point). In its words: The college has certified members in USA, Canada, Europe and Latin America. The double space is as published. CoAC home · Membership
Founded: unverified No founding date on the about, bylaws, home or FAQ pages we read.
Scope: International. Its governance page read, on 5 October 2026, New Board of Directors Pending Elections. Who we are
Student offering: unverified No student category on the membership, renewal or bylaws pages we read.
Student membership cost: No student price on the pages we read. Components, read 5 October 2026: The new membership fee is $325. Membership runs from 1 July to 30 June each calendar year, and the membership fee is $75 per year. Its bylaws give a different date, The annual dues of each active or charter member shall be payable on January 1 of each year. Both are as published. unverified A separate examination fee, not found on the pages we read. Membership · Renewal · Bylaws
Reachable now, or after licensure?: CoAC certification: specialty credential. Successfully complete a Certification Examination provided by the College. Membership. The examination, at your school at the end of the program. The credential, after licensure. See the two fields below.
Is student pricing published where a student would land?: Membership fees, yes, on its membership pages. No student price on the pages we read.
What they publish: An approved-programs list; certified-member requirements; bylaws; a continuing-education rule, A member is required to participate in 20 hours of Continuing Education over a two-year period.; a pass mark in its bylaws, Students who successfully complete the written and practical examinations with final scores of not less than 76% for each portion, shall be eligible for membership in the CoAC; an FAQ for animal owners; a member finder. Renewal · Bylaws
How a student engages: Its examination is held where a program asks for it: Currently, we are conducting our testing during the last day of the last scheduled module of the Animal Chiropractic or VSMT program of those schools that requests us to provide the CoAC test. Other exam locations and times are subject to proctor availability. There is no practical component to the CoAC exam provided you have successfully completed the practical component of an accredited animal chiropractic program. Membership
Entry point: Be a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic or Veterinary Medicine in good standing and authorized to practice said profession by their respective licensing boards. Have successfully completed post-graduate animal chiropractic/veterinary spinal manipulation training approved by the College of Animal Chiropractors (CoAC); the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). Successfully complete a Certification Examination provided by the College. Membership
When can a student begin?: During school, at the examination. The bylaws say The standard written and practical examination will be given to graduating students at their respective CoAC-approved schools. No admission rule for students on the CoAC pages we read; its approved-programs page describes the programs as training licensed chiropractors and veterinarians. Bylaws · Approved programs
When can the credential be held?: After licensure. Be a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic or Veterinary Medicine in good standing and authorized to practice said profession by their respective licensing boards. Membership
On the published lists: The lists we read name programs, so the CoAC is not an entry on any of them; the approved-programs list is its own. See the table below this block.

collegeofanimalchiropractors.org · Sources: CoAC about, home, who-we-are, approved-programs, membership, renewal, certification, bylaws and FAQ pages. Checked 5 October 2026.

Corrections to this entry: none · If this is your institution: how this entry was sourced, and how to correct it

Credentialing body · International

International Veterinary Chiropractic Association

IVCA · examination by the International Certification Commission for Animal Chiropractic (ICCAC)

The IVCA is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in the field of Veterinary Chiropractic. On its commission: The International Certification Commission for Animal Chiropractic, (ICCAC) is completely separate commission yet affiliated organization to the IVCA. Both as published. About the IVCA · IVCA FAQ · Certification exam

Who it serves: Veterinarians and chiropractors: Membership to the IVCA is only granted to qualified veterinarians or chiropractors (or individuals qualified in both professions) upon successful completion of approved veterinary chiropractic postgraduate training, successful completion of the IVCA certification exam (as of January 1st 2012) and adherence to membership rules and regulations. About the IVCA
Founded: unverified No founding date on the about, FAQ, membership, examination, accredited-courses or home pages we read.
Scope: International, with a postal address in Germany. Its commission Reviews applications, approves, accredits and renews animal chiropractic education programs. IVCA FAQ
Student offering: No student membership category on the membership and FAQ pages we read. A student may reach an accredited course in the final semester or trimester (see below), and the FAQ answers Can veterinary or chiropractic students submit coursework for CPD from their colleges? with Relevant animal chiropractic coursework may be submitted for review. IVCA FAQ
Student membership cost: No student price on the pages we read. Components, read 5 October 2026: examination 600 Euros (plus 5.48% + 0.35 Euros merchant payment processing fee); retakes The exam fee for the re-take of the written exam is €200 (plus 5.48% + 0.35 Euros PayPal fees) and the fee for the re-take of the practical exam is €300 (plus 5.48% + 0.35 Euros PayPal fees).; membership There is an initial joining fee of 125 Euros (plus a merchant payment processing fee). and The annual membership fee is 125 Euros (plus a merchant payment processing fee).; and a credit, If you decide to join the IVCA as a member within 4 weeks of successfully completing the IVCA certification exam then € 90 from the exam fee will be credited to you. Certification exam · Exam procedure · Membership
Reachable now, or after licensure?: IVCA certification: specialty credential. Successful completion of the IVCA certification exam is a prerequisite to IVCA membership. Written Paper: This is a paper of 120 multiple choice questions and lasts 2 hours. Certification exam. The course, in your final semester or trimester. The examination, after the course, which you must finish after your degree. See the two fields below.
Is student pricing published where a student would land?: Examination and membership fees, yes, on the examination, procedure and membership pages, and in the FAQ as Membership Fee: €125 per year. No student price on the pages we read. IVCA FAQ
What they publish: An accredited-courses list; examination format, procedure and dates; membership requirements; continuing-professional-development rules, 30 CPD hours every three years: with a Minimum 10 hours animal chiropractic-specific; approved CPD courses; examination results, which are only provided on a pass or fail basis; a practitioner finder. IVCA FAQ · Exam procedure
How a student engages: Through an accredited course, then the examination, which is held where the course is: Certification Exams are usually held the day after the provider’s end of course exams at the same location as the school. Certification exam
Entry point: Examination: Students must have successfully completed an IVCA approved course before sitting the IVCA certification exam. Membership, through which certification is kept current: Be an accredited veterinarian or chiropractor, Have successfully completed one of the basic IVCA approved educational courses, Have successfully completed the IVCA certification exam (as of Jan 1st 2012). The FAQ words the first requirement as Licensed veterinarian (DVM) or chiropractor (DC). Certification exam · Membership · IVCA FAQ
When can a student begin?: During school, in your final semester or trimester. An applicant to an Approved Institution’s Basic Animal Chiropractic Course must be a Veterinarian or Chiropractor or, a Chiropractic or Veterinary Student in their last Semester/Trimester of study. Accredited courses
When can the credential be held?: unverified Not as a student: The Applicant must complete his/her veterinary and/or chiropractic degree before completion of the Basic Animal Chiropractic Course. Whether a graduate who is not yet licensed may sit the examination and hold the certification is not settled on the pages we read: the examination page states no licensure rule, the membership page says accredited and the FAQ says Licensed. Accredited courses
On the published lists: The lists we read name programs, so the IVCA is not an entry on any of them; the accredited-courses list is its own. See the table below this block.

ivca.de · Sources: IVCA about, FAQ, membership, certification-exam, exam-procedure and accredited-courses pages. Checked 5 October 2026.

Corrections to this entry: 10 October 2026 · 10 October 2026 · If this is your institution: how this entry was sourced, and how to correct it

Credential awarded by a school · United States

Options for Animals

Certificate in Advanced Animal Chiropractic

A school that runs an approved basic program and, separately, awards its own advanced credential: Options for Animals offers a Certificate in Advanced Animal Chiropractic. After successful completion of the requirements, the candidate will receive a certificate stating Options for Animals Recognition of Their Advanced Achievement in Animal Chiropractic. The award is made by the school itself, through a committee; the page names no outside body as the awarder. Advanced certification

Who it serves: Chiropractors and veterinarians who have completed an approved basic course (see Entry point).
Founded: unverified The home page says Since 1988 we’ve helped veterinarians and chiropractors around the world add animal chiropractic care to their services; no founding date as such is on the pages we read. Options for Animals
Scope: Wellsville, Kansas, with a UK operation that publishes separately. Options for Animals · Options for Animals UK
Student offering: For the advanced credential, none: it follows the basic course. For the basic course, see the last two fields.
Student membership cost: There is no membership. The credential requires eight courses: Candidates for Advanced Certification must complete 8 continuing education courses. Six (6) courses are mandatory, and the remaining two (2) are chosen by the candidate from a group of elective courses *. The school's advanced schedule, read 5 October 2026, gives a tuition figure for each scheduled offering, and some offerings combine two of the courses in the certification chart: $1000 for A Complete Technique Review to include Advanced Techniques and $1200 for Advanced Extremity plus Equine Hoof and Ankle, with the other offerings priced beside them. unverified Any fee for the review, mentorship or certificate itself, none of which was published on the pages we read. Advanced certification · Advanced schedule
Reachable now, or after licensure?: Certificate in Advanced Animal Chiropractic: specialty credential. Candidates must complete an original animal chiropractic research project. Candidates must present two (2) Complete and Integrative Case Studies to the students at any of the Mandatory Courses. Advanced certification. Can begin: during school. Can hold: unverified. See Entry point.
Is student pricing published where a student would land?: In part. Course tuition is on the schedule page, not on the certification page.
What they publish: The requirements, the advanced course schedule with tuition, and a doctor finder: This exceptional designation will also be prominently displayed in the Doctor’s Referral Page on our web site and at the College. Advanced certification
How a student engages: Later, not now. Animal chiropractors can begin to work toward their advanced certification immediately after completing their basic courses, and There is no time limit for the completion of the certification process. Beyond the courses: Candidates must complete three (3) days of Mentorship in traditional chiropractic or veterinary clinics. Candidates must complete an original animal chiropractic research project. Candidates must present two (2) Complete and Integrative Case Studies to the students at any of the Mandatory Courses. Advanced certification
Entry point: Candidates must be doctors of chiropractic or doctors of veterinary medicine. They must supply documents confirming that they have completed a Basic Animal Chiropractic Course that was approved by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). Advanced certification
When can a student begin?: During school, at the basic course. You can attend the Essentials Course as long as you graduate from your prospective college within a month of attending our course. Student FAQs
When can the credential be held?: unverified Not as a student, because Entry point requires doctors. Whether a doctor who is not yet licensed may hold it: the page does not mention licensure.
On the published lists: The advanced credential is on none of the lists we read. The school's basic program is on the AVCA, IVCA and CoAC lists. RAMP lists three of its named courses, under Options for Animals and Options for Animals UK; see the table below this block.

optionsforanimals.com · optionsforanimals.co.uk · Sources: Options for Animals advanced-certification, advanced-schedule and student-FAQ pages; home pages in the US and UK. Checked 5 October 2026.

Corrections to this entry: none · If this is your institution: how this entry was sourced, and how to correct it

Credentialing body · United Kingdom

Royal College of Chiropractors Animal Faculty

RCCAF · levels Associate, Licentiate, Member and Fellow; designations MRCC (Animal) and FRCC (Animal) as published

A specialist faculty of the Royal College of Chiropractors, in the UK. The Animal Faculty has a number of core roles, including recognition of knowledge and competencies relevant to the subject area. Its officers are named on its page. Animal Faculty

Who it serves: Chiropractors who are members of the Royal College: Membership of the RCC requires a recognised chiropractic qualification and, for UK membership, statutory registration with the GCC. Membership requirements
Founded: unverified No date for the faculty on the faculty pages we read.
Scope: United Kingdom, with an overseas membership category (see cost).
Student offering: At the Royal College, not the faculty: Free membership for current chiropractic student. The faculty page carries two statements about joining; see Entry point and How a student engages. Membership requirements
Student membership cost: Free Royal College membership for current chiropractic students, as above. Components read 5 October 2026, under Membership Fees 2026/2027: Licentiate, Member or Fellow £390 per year (pro-rated).; overseas £294 per year (pro-rated)*; and each faculty, the Animal Faculty among them, – Associate/Licentiate/Member/Fellow – £54 per faculty per year (not pro-rated). The routes' courses are not priced on the RCC pages we read. Membership requirements
Reachable now, or after licensure?: RCC Animal Licentiate: type unverified. Can begin: unverified. Can hold: after licensure, as for every level; see When can the credential be held. By the academic route: Successful achievement of the first 60 core credits of the MCC’s MSc Animal Manipulation (Chiropractic) programme. Its other two routes are completions of an Options for Animals Professional Certificate in Animal Chiropractic (PCAC). and of the IAVC Essentials course., and the routes document does not say whether either is assessed. RCC Animal Member and Fellow: specialty credential. Member, by the academic route: Successful achievement of the 120 core credits of the MCC’s MSc Animal Manipulation (Chiropractic) programme. Fellow, by the clinical-logbook route: Completion of the requirements for RCCAF Member (or current RCCAF Member status) plus, among the activities listed there, Completion of a clinical logbook of documented cases of your choice, the activities together amounting to the equivalent of an additional 60 credits. Each level’s other routes are in the routes document. The Associate level asks An interest in animal chiropractic, including an intention to progress through the membership levels of the RCCAF. Routes to membership (PDF). After registration as a chiropractor for Licentiate and above. unverified Whether the Licentiate minimum applies to joining as an Associate; see Entry point.
Is student pricing published where a student would land?: Yes, on the Royal College's membership-requirements page.
What they publish: A core-competencies document, a routes-to-membership document naming the courses that lead to each level, and a register linked from the faculty page through the RCC's member portal: A Register of Licentiates, full Members and Fellows of the Animal Faculty can be accessed below. Animal Faculty · Routes to membership (PDF)
How a student engages: Any RCC member can join the Animal Faculty as an Associate, simply by demonstrating an interest in Animal Chiropractic. unverified Whether a student member counts as an RCC member for this purpose; the faculty page says only Any RCC member. Animal Faculty
Entry point: Chiropractors only. In order to join and progress through a specialist faculty, the member must have a minimum status of Licentiate Member of the Royal College. Licentiate: Registered chiropractor who has successfully completed the RCC’s ‘PRT’ postgraduate programme, or is able to demonstrate an equivalent achievement. unverified Whether this minimum applies to joining as an Associate: the faculty page also says Any RCC member can join the Animal Faculty as an Associate, simply by demonstrating an interest in Animal Chiropractic. The routes document sets out, for Licentiate and Member, an academic route, an Options for Animals route and an International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic route; for Fellow, an academic route, an Options for Animals route and a clinical-logbook route. Read it in full before you choose a course. Animal Faculty · Membership requirements · Routes to membership (PDF)
When can a student begin?: unverified Education is not addressed on the RCC pages we read; see each route's provider.
When can the credential be held?: After licensure, for every level: joining the faculty requires a minimum status of Licentiate Member of the Royal College, which requires a registered chiropractor; see Entry point.
On the published lists: Not an entry on the AVCA, IVCA or CoAC lists, which name programs. On RAMP, the faculty's own page says Members of the Animal Faculty are normally eligible, and choose, to be registered with RAMP; that is the Royal College's statement, not an entry on a RAMP list. Animal Faculty

rcc-uk.org · Sources: Royal College of Chiropractors Animal Faculty, specialist-faculties and membership-requirements pages; RCCAF routes-to-membership document. Checked 5 October 2026.

Corrections to this entry: 10 October 2026 · If this is your institution: how this entry was sourced, and how to correct it

Which programs each published list carries, read from the list

Every list below names programs, not certifying bodies. Each cell was read from the list itself on 5 October 2026, never from a program's claim to be approved. Programs are in alphabetical order.

Program, as the lists name it	AVCA approved	IVCA accredited	CoAC approved	RAMP accredited
Academia Internacional De Quiropractica Animal	not listed	not listed	listed	not listed
Animal Chiropractic Education Source (ACES)	listed	not listed	not listed	not listed
Backbone Academy	listed	listed, for Germany and Australia	listed	not listed
Healing Oasis Wellness Center	listed	not listed	listed	not listed
Health Pioneers Institute	listed	not listed	not listed	not listed
International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed
McTimoney College of Chiropractic	not listed	not listed	not listed	listed, two courses
Options for Animals	listed	listed, for the UK and USA	listed	listed: one course as Options for Animals, two as Options for Animals UK
Parker University	listed	not listed	listed	not listed
Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Center	listed	not listed	listed	not listed

The four lists, and what each is. The AVCA's approved basic program providers, modified 23 September 2026 per the page's own metadata. The IVCA's accredited courses, modified 26 May 2026. The CoAC's approved programs, which carries no date. And the accredited educational providers of RAMP, the UK's Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners, which describes itself as a voluntary industry regulatory body which maintains a competent national register of professionals who have signed up to take responsibility to attain and maintain gold standards of practice in animal musculoskeletal treatment. RAMP registers chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists together; only its chiropractic rows are counted here. A program named differently on two lists is matched here only where the lists themselves connect the entries: the Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Center by country and website (the CoAC writes Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Centre); Parker by the parker.edu domain on both lists (the CoAC writes Parker Chiropractic College); and Backbone Academy by country and website (the AVCA writes Backbone-Academy). The International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic is on none of the four; it is named as a route in the Royal College of Chiropractors Animal Faculty's routes document, and it describes itself as a postgraduate veterinary chiropractic training program designed specifically for veterinarians and chiropractors. IAVC about

What we hold on record

Recorded conversations with people practicing and teaching in this field, gathered independently between 2020 and 2023. Names appear only once each person has given written permission — several are still outstanding.

Recorded conversations tagged animal chiropractic25

Long-form interviews with practitioners and teachers5

Published entries in the people directory0

Still to come: the IVCA side of the comparison in the same detail as the AVCA table above, and a state-by-state table of what each board permits. All of it is being compiled from the certifying bodies and from state board publications rather than from the programs' own marketing, which is slower and is the reason cells above still read "not verified" instead of being filled in with something plausible.

If you are looking for a practitioner, not a career

Both the AVCA and the IVCA maintain searchable public directories of currently certified practitioners. Those are the authoritative sources and you should verify any certificate directly with the certifying body rather than taking a practitioner's word for it. This page is about the route into the profession, not a listing of people who provide care.

Sources: American Veterinary Chiropractic Association — certification steps, the approved-program listing and its two-year approval term, the 210-hour minimum, and recertification (listing page last modified 6 April 2026); International Veterinary Chiropractic Association — accredited-schools listing, course prerequisites, the 210-hour minimum and the final-semester student rule (page last modified 26 May 2026); Options for Animals, Parker Success Academy, Health Pioneers Institute and Healing Oasis Wellness Center — their own published program structures; Cleveland University-Kansas City — its published arrangement for students enrolling at Options for Animals; Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners (registration requirements); Oklahoma State Board of Chiropractic Examiners (continuing education). Regulations and program approvals change — verify with the relevant board or with the certifying body before acting on anything here. Last checked July 2026.