Physical Therapy

Accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at West Virginia University 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; website: http://www.capteonline.org.  If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call, (304) 293-3610, or e-mail ivan.mulligan@hsc.wvu.edu.

Accreditation Dates

Initial Accreditation: 1972
Current Accreditation: April 26, 2022
Next Self-Study Report & On-Site Review: Spring 2032

CAPTE Compliance Policy and Procedures

The West Virginia University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is committed to maintaining complete compliance with all accreditation criteria as prescribed by CAPTE. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Maintenance of accurate information, easily accessible to the public on the program website [including CAPTE logo & required accreditation statement) and current student achievement measures
  • Timely submission of required fees and documents, including reports of graduation rates, performance on state licensing exams and employment rates;
  • Following Policies and Procedures of CAPTE as outlined in the CAPTE Rules of Practice and Procedures
  • Timely notification of expected or unexpected substantive changes within the program and of any change in institutional status or legal authority to provide post-secondary education
  • Coming into compliance with accreditation Standards and Required Elements within 2 years of being determined to be out of compliance

CAPTE Contact Information

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085

accreditation@apta.org
www.capteonline.org

703/706-3245

Mary Romanello, PT, PhD (Director, Accreditation)
703/706-3241  | Email: maryromanello@apta.org

Doreen Stiskal, PT, MS, PhD (Manager, PT Programs)
703/706-3247  | Email: doreenstiskal@apta.org

Filing a Complaint with CAPTE

Students or other interested parties may file a formal complaint about a PT program with CAPTE at any time.

As stated by CAPTE:

“The only mechanism through which the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) can act on your concerns is through the formal complaint process. Please be aware that your complaint MUST be related specifically to one or more of the Evaluative Criteria, to the Statement on Integrity in Program Closure, or to the Statement of Integrity in Accreditation. In other words, you need to link your complaint to violation of the Criteria or the Statements. The criteria can be found in the Accreditation Handbook. Also, in order for CAPTE to consider your complaint to be bona fide, you MUST have exhausted all of your avenues for redress at the institution. You need to understand that CAPTE cannot function as an arbiter between you and the school. Should CAPTE find that your complaint has merit and that the program is out of compliance with the Evaluative Criteria or the Statements, CAPTE can only require the program to come into compliance with the Evaluative Criteria. If you wish to pursue filing a complaint against a program, please contact the Department of Accreditation and we will provide you with the appropriate forms and information for doing so.”

Procedure for filing a complaint:

Complainants are expected to contact the staff of Accreditation prior to submission of a formal complaint. The purpose of the contact is two-fold: to ascertain whether the concern of the complainant is within CAPTE’s jurisdiction/authority and to obtain contact information from the complainant for the purpose of providing information regarding the complaint process and the required format for submission of the complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing to CAPTE, in the format provided by the Accreditation staff and must identify the name(s) and relationship(s) to the education program of the individual(s) initiating the complaint and must clearly describe the specific nature of the complaint and the relationship of the complaint to the Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation (or Standards and Required Elements as appropriate), and provide supporting data for the charge(s). If the complaint alleges a violation of the statement on Truthful Identification of Pre-accreditation or Accreditation Status, the statement on Academic Integrity in Accreditation or the statement on Integrity Related to Program Closure, the complainant must identify the name(s) and relationship(s) to the education program of the individual(s) initiating the complaint and provide supporting data for the allegation. Complaints that do not contain required information will be returned to the complainant with an explanation of why the complaint is being returned. Returned complaints may be resubmitted at any time.