Chiropractic started here, and so will your career.
When you’re a student at Palmer, you’ll find yourself where the past and future of chiropractic meet – the place to be for those who are driven to be the best in the profession.
The largest of Palmer’s two campuses, more than 900 students attend Palmer’s Main Campus.
Wonder what it’s like to be a Palmer student?
At Palmer’s Main Campus in Davenport, Iowa, you can study where chiropractic education started, in modern, newly reimagined student-learning spaces. View our walking tour video for a preview of our campus.
Student Life
From technique clubs to intramural sports, student life at Palmer enhances our academic curriculum – with some fun along the way.
Beyond campus, our students enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by the 100+ miles of bike trails, as well as farmer’s markets, and minor league baseball at Modern Woodmen Park. You’ll also find breweries and bars, restaurants and music venues, including the Vibrant Arena at The MARK, which attracts national names in entertainment.
Explore Palmer’s clubs and organizations and things to do in the surrounding area.
Campus Highlights
R. Richard Bittner Athletic & Recreation Center
The R. Richard Bittner Athletic & Recreation Center is a 46,000 square-foot, leading-edge fitness facility that opened in 2017. It features two athletic courts, a three-lane track, cardio equipment equipped with internet and Preva, athletic equipment including free weights, resistance machines and functional fitness equipment, and a digital fitness room where users can select from on-demand fitness programming. Learn more about the Bittner Center.
Paul & Donna VanDuyne Hall
Paul & Donna VanDuyne Hall opened in the fall 2022 and provides 115 units that can accommodate up to 139 students. The space features multiple study areas, a meditation area, multi-purpose rooms and lounges, free on-site laundry and parking, and a fire pit and grilling area.
David D. Palmer Learning Commons
The David D. Palmer Learning Commons is a 22,000 sq. ft. Student-learning space that opened in 2021. The Learning Commons encompasses the David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library; the Evan & Cynthia Beane Learning Lab, where students hone their technique; more than 75 enclosed group-and-individual study spaces; Dave’s Coffee Corner; and a monumental staircase inspired by spinal anatomy.
The Learning Commons is located in the same space that once housed the B. J. Palmer Clinic, giving Palmer students the unique experience of studying in the same space where the founders of chiropractic practiced.
William J. & Mary A. Kiernan Hall – Anatomy & Technique Center
The William J. & Mary A. Kiernan Hall – Anatomy & Technique Center, which opened in spring 2022, allows students to move seamlessly between Palmer’s anatomy classrooms, wet and dry labs, and technique classrooms. It features five technique labs with 20 stations for hands-on work, and two new anatomy labs.
Trevor V. Ireland Student Clinic
The state-of-the-art Trevor V. Ireland Student Clinic, equipped with the latest technology, is the first place you’ll go to apply your education in a hands-on setting. You’ll begin with fellow students, and then move on to patients from the surrounding community. All of our clinical experiences are centralized under one roof, offering a contemporary place for education and care.
The Ireland Student Clinic features 25 rooms for patient care, and a top-flight radiology suite containing 100-inch monitors that allow for an immersive image-review experience for students. This space is part of the largest chiropractic clinic network in the country.
NCMIC Center for Business Development
The NCMIC Center for Business Development opened in 2021. The newly-renovated space delivers students with business skills and resources to help them create a strong chiropractic practice. The Center’s programs are uniquely designed to meet the needs of chiropractors and incorporate instruction, mentoring and hands-on applications.
Bruce & Bethel Hagen Student Union
The Bruce & Bethel Hagen Student Union provides a space for students to unwind and have fun. It features gaming pods set up for video-game tournaments, large-screen TVs with comfortable seating for viewing movies, a pool table, shuffleboard table, arcade games, golf simulator and the Campus Grounds coffee shop.
Charles & Hildegarde Keller Terrace
The Charles & Hildegarde Keller Terrace opened in spring 2022, providing a beautiful outdoor space for students to study and learn where chiropractic education began.
Recreation & Athletic Field
A new recreation and athletic field is located adjacent to VanDuyne Hall. The space serves as a multi-sport practice and recreation field where club and intramural sports teams such as rugby, softball, baseball and soccer can practice.
