About
About Our Department
Housed within the School of Integrated Health Sciences, the Physical Therapy Department offers a doctor of physical therapy degree program that prepares students for entry into the profession. The department was formed in 1998 as a master’s program, which then transitioned to the doctor of physical therapy program in 2007.
Mission Statement
To be recognized nationally among the top tier of physical therapy programs and globally for impactful research, educational excellence, and service that promote the improvement of health for individuals, populations, and society.
Core Values
- Learner-centered education with faculty accessibility
- Professionalism (accountability, altruism, collaboration, compassion and caring, excellence, integrity, duty, social responsibility)
- Respect for the dignity and diversity of all individuals
- Research engagement and dissemination that advances the practice of physical therapy and rehabilitation science
- The Quadruple Aim
- Competent and compassionate adaptive practitioners who are prepared to engage in critical thinking, lifelong learning, evidence-based practice, and to provide interprofessional care
- Professional practice and community service to Nevada and its rural and underserved areas
Program Accreditation
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085
Telephone: 703-706-3245
Email: accreditation@apta.org
If you need to contact the program/institution directly, call 702-895-3003 or email physical.therapy@unlv.edu. Complaints can be filed with CAPTE using the contact information above.
Licensure Exam and State of Nevada Licensure Requirements Disclosure
After successfully completing the program, students become eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE®). Graduating students must take and pass the NPTE to become a licensed physical therapist. In addition to taking and passing the NPTE, graduating students must apply for licensure to practice as a physical therapist in each U.S. state or territory where they will work.
UNLVPT encourages all prospective and current students to fully explore the licensure requirements in each state(s) where they wish to practice in the future. For more details regarding state licensure, visit the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) page. The FSBPT provides students and current licensees with contact information for the respective physical therapy licensing boards for all U.S. states and U.S. territories, as well as useful tools to determine state by state licensing requirements.
Nevada Physical Therapy Licensure
Those planning to apply for a license to practice physical therapy in Nevada are encouraged to review the relevant Nevada statutes and regulations regarding the practice of physical therapy. Learn more at the Nevada Physical Therapy Board website.
The UNLV Physical Therapy department has determined that the UNLV doctor of physical therapy program meets the educational requirements for state licensure in Nevada as outlined in NRS 640 and NAC 640.
Non-Educational requirements, as outlined in NRS 640 and NAC 640 (as of May 2020), include the following: Must pass national exam; must provide official transcript from DPT program; must take and pass a jurisprudence assessment; must submit fingerprints and background check; must submit an application and pay a fee; must be of good moral character.