Doctor of Physical Therapy
Empathetically serve individuals within your community and empower them to live better lives with your Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Whitworth University. Our student-centered, hands-on approach enables you to develop critical skills and personal connections that will last your entire career.
With your DPT from Whitworth, you’ll get ahead in a fast-growing field. Prepare to succeed with unmatched resources, like:
Whitworth’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program is known for its clinical and academic excellence, and the admissions committee is dedicated to a thorough, holistic review of each application to build our competitively selected cohorts.
A Whitworth DPT doesn’t just provide you with the education required to be a physical therapist – it prepares you to collaborate and lead teams with confidence, serving in a manner that fosters mutual growth and respect through sensitivity to diversity, inclusivity and equity, and advocating for others. Develop strong leadership, professional and clinical competencies to guide individuals in healthy lifestyle choices while respecting the uniqueness and valuable contribution of each individual under your care.
Earning your DPT from Whitworth unlocks unlimited career possibilities, enabling you to guide individuals toward better health while also earning a high salary.
Average Annual Salary
Anticipated Job Growth
(much faster than average)
Projected New Physical Therapy Jobs
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Immerse yourself in valuable clinical experiences and a learner-centered curriculum. Our DPT program is rich in evidence-based practice, interprofessional learning opportunities and community partnerships that help you learn how to better promote the health and well-being of others. Get hands-on experience working in local hospitals and senior living facilities and even with adaptive sport athletes, with additional opportunities to collaborate across disciplines and build your interprofessional network.
Designed with you in mind, Whitworth’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program allows you to complete your degree in 32 months, over eight consecutive semesters.
The Whitworth University Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is designed as a cohort model, enabling you to grow and connect with fellow students during your studies.
Achieve your professional goals with a motivated and dedicated community in Spokane, Wash. Whitworth provides all the resources you need to thrive on campus and beyond. Access an innovative, state-of-the-art health sciences building that houses a motion analysis research lab, an activities of daily living lab, exercise physiology labs, simulation labs and more. Our team is made up of APTA-board-certified clinicians, and DPT faculty are actively working on grant-supported research projects that students can learn from and participate in during their studies.
At Whitworth University, we understand each career path is unique. That’s why our Doctor of Physical Therapy program goes beyond lectures and textbooks to provide you with unparalleled one-on-one support in a smaller, close-knit setting. Receive personalized career advising, and participate in courses that will help you assess and compare job offers for pay and benefits.
Imagine working with faculty mentors who are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. That’s the Whitworth difference.
The DPT program has provided me with an intense yet exciting challenge. My studies have demonstrated not only what it takes to be a PT but what the real world/hands-on application of that is like.
- Jathzeel Olivares
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.