Palmer College of Chiropractic is the first and largest chiropractic college. More than one-third of all practicing chiropractors are Palmer graduates who contribute to the health and well-being of people around the globe. At Palmer College you will explore and expand your boundaries in the science, art and philosophy of chiropractic and service to others, preparing for a satisfying career and lifelong learning.
The Campuses
The College’s worldwide reputation for excellence draws students from many foreign countries. About eight percent of the student body comes from outside the United States, and Palmer alumni currently practice in more than 40 nations. Nearly one out of every three chiropractors in the world is a Palmer graduate.
The Main Campus is located in the Quad Cities. Palmer College and the Quad-Cities community are vibrant, active places with plenty of things to do. The Quad Cities is a thriving community of nearly 500,000 straddling the Mississippi River and is within a few hours’ drive of Des Moines, Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis.
The Quad Cities is easily accessible. Two major highways, Interstate 80 and Interstate 74, intersect in the Quad Cities. The Quad-City International Airport in Moline is just 15 minutes from campus. Amtrak rail service is an hour away. Overland bus transportation serves the area.
The College sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, only a few blocks from downtown Davenport, Iowa. The campus is close to banking, shopping and entertainment facilities.
The Florida Campus is adjacent to Daytona Beach on Florida’s eastern shore, four hours north of Miami and an hour east of Orlando. Port Orange is a city of more than 60,000 people, with expanding industry, good schools, 17 parks, five libraries and a performing arts center. World-famous attractions are nearby, including Walt Disney World, Daytona International Speedway, the Kennedy Space Center, pro sports teams and beaches.
Campus Visits
The College provides visits at the Main and Florida campuses. To schedule a visit, go to www.palmer.edu/campusvisit or contact the Office of Admissions/ Enrollment at the chosen campus.
Davenport, Iowa: 800-722-3648
Port Orange, Florida: 866-890-5498
A visit to a Palmer campus includes an opportunity to interact with Palmer faculty and tour the campus and clinics. Typically visitors have lunch with current students, a one-on-one meeting with an Admissions/Enrollment representative and obtain information from Student Services, Financial Planning and Office of Admissions/Enrollment.
Research
The College recognizes that chiropractic is an applied science, subject to and guided by the results of scientific research. Our mission includes conducting research.
Faculty members engage in scholarly activity as an integral part of their commitment to excellence in teaching and scholarship.
Students gain valuable experience by participating in research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The College offers interested students the opportunity to gain research experience through the research honors program.
Established in 1995, the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) is the largest research effort in the U.S. The PCCR administers and coordinates scholarly research efforts at all three campuses.
The William and Jo Harris Building, located on the Main Campus, houses the PCCR’s administrative offices and the Office of Data Management and Biostatistics.
The PCCR has received approximately $36 million in federal funding since 2000 through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Department of Defense (DoD), in addition to private foundation grants.
Facilities
Palmer College is comprised of a Main Campus located in Davenport, Iowa, and a Florida Campus in Port Orange, Florida. Each campus maintains multiple classrooms and laboratories, as well as library facilities. In addition, each student-friendly environment provides a Campus Store, computer labs, food service areas and student common areas. Each location is unique in its own right and appropriate to the region, setting and needs of its students.
The Davenport, Iowa, location is steeped in history from the turn of the century. The original three buildings built in 1920 have expanded to 15 buildings, occupying 21 acres. The Main Campus houses academic, clinic and student services as well as centralized administrative services for both campuses. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, the historic Palmer Family Residence and Vickie Anne Palmer Hall also are located here. The Main Campus houses two clinics for patient care.
In 2002, the College’s Florida campus opened its doors on 24 acres in the heart of Port Orange, a family-oriented community with more than 50,000 residents. Since then, Palmer has constructed three buildings; two housing academic, student and administrative services. The Standard Process Student Center was opened in 2012. A fourth building formerly known as the Allen Green Civic Center has been the home of the health center for patient care. There is an additional outreach clinic nearby.
The College strives to maintain and update all of the campus properties on a regular basis. The Facilities departments on all three campuses are available for any student to express concerns they might have.
Clinics
Palmer Chiropractic Clinics supports the student learning experience by allowing students to gain real-world patient care experience under the guidance of clinic faculty using the Mentor Model. Clinical education develops the intellectual, ethical and professional attributes of students in a learning-oriented environment. By offering experiential learning opportunities, Palmer’s clinical education prepares graduates for contemporary chiropractic practice. This allows faculty to guide and direct interns through the transition from student to intern to doctor.
The Davenport Chiropractic Clinic, located on campus, and the Moline satellite clinic, are excellent facilities that serve as the primary focus for patient care. Both facilities include a community outpatient clinic and digital radiology; chiropractic rehabilitation services are offered at the Davenport location.
The Port Orange, Florida, campus operates a community outpatient clinic that serves the chiropractic care needs of the public as well as the campus’ students and employees. The Port Orange campus also maintains a network of outreach satellite clinics at various community locations.
Students on each campus may participate in various programs through the Palmer Capstone Program Office. Qualified students may gain clinical and business experience in chiropractic private practices through field training through the Preceptorship Program. Another program option for qualified students is at a Department of Defense military treatment facility or Veterans Health Administration medical center with whom Palmer has a formal affiliation. Through this program participants gain clinical experience with a staff chiropractor in a multidisciplinary environment.
Libraries
The David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library provides a comprehensive range of services and resources for the faculty, students and staff on each campus. Each campus library holds a core collection of material in support of the curriculum. There are unique materials in the collection on each campus which may be shared throughout the College. The David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library’s Special Collections is recognized as holding the most comprehensive collection of material in the profession. The special collections and College archives are housed on the Main Campus and can be accessed via the Library’s Special Collections and Archives Website.
The Library provides access to a large number of chiropractic and other health-science searchable electronic databases. From the Library’s home page, the book and print journal collections may be searched with the online catalog. Off-campus access is provided through a proxy server. The Library also provides 1uiet study areas, PC workstations and print and photocopy stations. Library policies, staff information, and hours are accessible through the Library’s website.
Center for Teaching and Learning
The Center for Teaching and Learning provides a variety of resources and services to enhance the teaching and learning process at Palmer’s Main Campus. In addition to peer review and professional development programs for faculty, the Center also offers technology resources and production services to support curriculum delivery. Resources, training and support for computerized presentations, production of audiovisual aids, website development and other classroom presentation needs are available to faculty. Some of these services are also available to students.
Museum and Osteological Collections – Main Campus
Exhibits of the Palmer Family Chiropractic History Museum are located throughout Vickie Anne Palmer Hall. The exhibits can be viewed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. when the College is in session. It is open on weekends by appointment. The collections include chiropractic analysis instruments, adjusting tables and chairs and memorabilia from chiropractic’s century of development. Additional exhibits, including the osteological collection, are located in the B.J. Palmer Classroom and David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library buildings and throughout the hallways on all three campuses.
The Palmer Family Residence is located on the Main Campus and houses the Palmer Family’s collections gathered from around the world. The Courtyard to the Residence features statuary from Asia. The Courtyard is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Residence is open for tours by appointment.
The Palmer Foundation for Chiropractic History oversees the Museum, Residence and all historic exhibits.
Housing
Starting your new educational career and relocating can be an exciting adventure. Students may contact Palmer Student Housing at info@palmerstudenthousing.com or 563-884-5333.
Palmer offers affordable student housing from studios to one- and two-bedroom apartments, all just a short walk to the academic buildings and clinics. New Palmer student housing located on the east side of campus opened in fall 2022, giving students more on-campus living options.
Looking for off-campus housing? Whether it’s a trendy apartment in downtown Davenport or a nearby house for rent that you’re after, you’ll find there are a variety of housing options available for students. Links to local area housing options can be found at https://www.palmer.edu/student-life/housing/. Students who have questions about non-Palmer housing options may contact an Admissions counselor.
Palmer Florida Campus
Palmer Florida is close to a number of great housing options. There are a few apartment complexes within walking distance and many others just a short drive away. Several housing options exist directly in Port Orange and in the surrounding communities. Students may contact Student Services at housing.fl@palmer.edu or 386-763-2724.
As a non-residential graduate program, the College offers resources to aid students in finding housing, but leaves the responsibility of securing housing to each student.
Maps
View Detailed Palmer Main campus map (PDF)
View a printable Florida campus map (PDF)
