School of Health Professions

Licensure | Certification Notification

Physician Assistant

Forty-eight states and The District of Columbia Physician Assistant and/or Medical Licensure Boards recognize the Masters of Physician Assistant Studies Degree from an Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) accredited physician assistant program as fulfilling the academic requirements for PA  licensure. Minnesota and North Dakota do not require the degree, but do require passage of the PA National Certification Examination (PANCE) produced by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).  Applicants must graduate from an ARC-PA approved PA program to be eligible to take the PANCE. The ARC-PA, maintains national accreditation standards for physician assistant programs. The UNTHSC PA program is ARC-PA accredited and program graduates are eligible to take the PA National Certification Examination after successfully completing the program.

Physical Therapy

All 50 states and The District of Columbia Physical Therapy Licensure Boards recognize the Doctorate of Physical Therapy Degree from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)  accredited physical therapy program as fulfilling the academic requirements for physical therapy licensure. In addition, the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) administers the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), the examination that every graduate of a physical therapy program must pass to become a licensed physical therapist in the United States. CAPTE maintains national accreditation standards for physical therapy programs. The UNTHSC DPT program is CAPTE accredited and program graduates are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination after successfully completing program requirements.