HPU Doctor of Physical Therapy, Las Vegas, faculty and staff at the University's Aloha Tower Marketplace campus. Image By Michael Matsushita.
HPU announced this morning that its Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, Las Vegas, has been granted candidate for accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), marking a significant milestone for HPU and its students. HPU anticipates full accreditation upon successful completion of a monitoring process and the graduation of its first cohort. The University’s DPT Honolulu program received full accreditation from CAPTE in May 2024 after the same accreditation process.
“This candidacy status marks a significant milestone for our HPU Doctor of Physical Therapy program and our presence here on the ‘Ninth Island’ of Las Vegas. We are deeply grateful—mahalo nui loa—to our dedicated faculty, staff, and the entire HPU community for their unwavering support and commitment to making this vision a reality,” said HPU Director of the Las Vegas Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Professor Annie Burke-Doe, PT, DPT, Ph.D. “Together, we have built a program rooted in excellence and the spirit of aloha, bridging our Hawaiian heritage with the needs of our local and extended communities.”
The inaugural DPT Las Vegas program class is scheduled to begin in January 2025, with an application deadline of December 2, 2024. Candidacy status permits HPU to admit students while demonstrating satisfactory progress toward full accreditation. Graduates of candidate programs may take the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) to become licensed physical therapists.
“We are thrilled to see our DPT Las Vegas program earn candidacy status,” said HPU Dean of the Graduate College of Health Sciences, Professor Tricia Catalino, PT, DSC. “This milestone reflects the dedication of our faculty and staff to fostering a rigorous and innovative learning environment that prepares future physical therapists to meet the highest standards of patient care. Our new Las Vegas campus provides students access to top-tier equipment and opportunities to collaborate closely with our Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. Our graduates will be ready to make a real impact in the communities they serve in Las Vegas and beyond. ”
The DPT Las Vegas program is a 24-month hybrid course, blending online learning with on-campus lab immersions to provide flexibility alongside rigorous hands-on training. Students complete 32 weeks of clinical education and over 500 hours of in-person lab instruction, allowing them to graduate a full year earlier than most DPT programs. As the first hybrid DPT program in Las Vegas, it offers a dynamic pathway to earning a degree, enhanced by cutting-edge technology and expert faculty.
To learn more about the DPT Las Vegas program, click here.
