Applications for Fall 2024 are now open
Whitworth University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program is an intensive, full-time professional program designed to be completed over eight consecutive semesters. Our innovative learner-centered curriculum design is rich in evidence-based practice, interprofessional learning experiences, and community clinical partnerships that support Whitworth's mission.
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Physical therapist is ranked #6 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Jobs of 2023 - U.S. News & World Report
a state-of-the-art health science building that houses a motion analysis research lab, activities of daily living lab, exercise physiology labs, simulation labs and more
exceptional clinical site placement partnerships
collaboration with multiple disciplines
hands-on clinical experience beginning your first semester
Our Whitworth University Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) graduates integrate mind, heart and hands as movement system experts. Their professional roles embody reflective servant leadership, global citizenship, and integration of faith and learning, to challenge the injustices of societies and the inequities of health systems. Graduates join the faculty as an inclusive community of scholars, engaged in critical inquiry to empower innovation and clinical reasoning that optimizes the human experience throughout the lifespan and advances the profession of physical therapy.
For general questions about the DPT program, please call 509.777.4442 or email dpt@whitworth.edu
Effective July 19, 2022, Whitworth University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 509.777.4442 or email dpt@whitworth.edu.
Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; phone 703.706.3245; accreditation@apta.org, is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.
This program has been reviewed as a substantive change by our institutional accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and is included in our institutional accreditation status.
The DPT program will be evaluated for full-accreditation status in the third year of the first cohort (2024/2025). Accreditation is anticipated to be received in the spring of 2025 prior to graduation of the first cohort which will be May 2025. Based on Rule 7.2 (see below), graduates of the first cohort will be able to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as early as July 2025.
Candidate for Accreditation is a pre-accreditation status, awarded prior to enrollment of students in the technical (PTA programs) or professional (PT programs) phase of the program, which indicates that the physical therapy education program is progressing toward accreditation. All credits and degrees earned and issued by a program holding candidacy are considered to be from an accredited program.
The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education is a nationally recognized accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. CAPTE grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. The only mechanism through which CAPTE can act on an individual’s concerns is through a formal complaint process. For more information please visit the CAPTE website.
The process for filing a complaint with CAPTE is available here.