Your Future is in Strong Hands
Chiropractic education was introduced in Portland as early as 1904 when Drs. John and Eva Marsh opened Marshes' School and Cure. In 1909, the college changed its name to Pacific College of Chiropractic.
In 1932 the Pacific Chiropractic College was reorganized and became Western States College. In 1937 the Health Research Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization under which Western States College operated. The College also offered a degree in naturopathy from the mid-thirties through the mid-fifties.
In 1946 the College relocated to southeast Portland, and then, in 1973, moved to its current 22-acre campus in northeast Portland. In 1967 the school's name changed to Western States Chiropractic College.
In 2010 Western States Chiropractic College announced its transition to the University of Western States. The name change represents a transition of the former college to university status, creating the opportunity to offer new programs of study, additional advanced degrees, and expanded research opportunities.
UWS has been a pioneer in chiropractic education since its inception. UWS was the first to set up a four-year course of study; one of the first to be transferred from private ownership to non-profit status; the first to require two years of preprofessional requirements to enroll; one of the first to adopt a curriculum inclusive of all the basic sciences; and the first to be awarded a federal research grant.
