Accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Clarkson University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, American Physical Therapy Association, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; telephone, 703-706-3245; email, accreditation@apta.org; website, http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 315-268-7622 or email pthealth@clarkson.edu.

The program was originally accredited on Nov. 16, 2001, reaffirmed on Oct. 28, 2009 and reaffirmed again on April 26, 2017. CAPTE is the sole accreditation agency for physical therapy programs in the nation. Licensure through the state is required for practice as a physical therapist. Licensure is gained through successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination offered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

The program has determined that its curriculum meets state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, based on the following:

CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at www.fsbpt.org.

Provided Student Outcomes

• Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) National Physical Therapy Licensure Ultimate Exam Pass Rate: 96.45% (two-year average from 2022 and 2023).
• FSBPT National Physical Therapy Licensure First-Time Pass Rate: 61.05% (two-year average from 2022 and 2023).
• Graduation Rate: 95 percent of admitted students to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program graduated (two-year average from 2022 and 2023).
• Employment: Of those program graduates responding to surveys in 2022 and 2023, 100 percent who sought jobs as physical therapists were employed as physical therapists within 12 months.
• The program and institution are also accredited by:
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (July 1, 2008), and to grant a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (March 28, 2006).
  • The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program (May 18, 2005).
• Comments or complaints about the Clarkson University Doctor of Physical Therapy program may be sent to:
  • Heather Shattuck, Interim Program Director, Department of Physical Therapy, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, NY 13699, hshattuc@clarkson.edu, 315-268-3786
  • Tom Langen, Interim Chair, Department of Physical Therapy, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, NY 13699, tlangen@clarkson.edu, 315-268-7933
  • Dean, Lewis School of Health Sciences, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, NY 13699, ljohns@clarkson.edu, 315-268-4019
  • Department of Accreditation, American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1488; Fax: 703-684-7343; or emailed to accreditation@apta.org. For more information on the process of filing a complaint with CAPTE, go to http://www.capteonline.org/Complaints/.