1979
Dr. Stanley Paris founded the Institute of Physical Therapy (the Institute) in Atlanta, Georgia—later to be renamed the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 1997.
Our history
1981
The Institute began offering a Certificate of Competency in Manual Therapy and a Certificate of Competency in Cranio-Facial.
1991
The Institute relocated to St. Augustine, Florida. Soon after, the Institute achieved accreditation for its MScPT degree from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).
[Note: This degree is no longer offered at the University.]
1992
The Institute began offering a post-professional Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
1994
The Institute commenced a first professional degree in physical therapy—the Master of Physical Therapy (MPT).
1996
The Institute of Occupational Therapy was founded to offer a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree, a first-professional (entry-level) program.
1997
The organization formally became the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
2000
The University began the dual degree option whereby a student could earn a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree and a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree concurrently.
2006
The University broke ground on a 98,000 square foot academic and clinical building at the St. Augustine campus. The building was completed in August 2007 and added additional labs, classrooms, separate wet and dry anatomy labs, a fitness center and a physical therapy clinic to the campus.
2007
The University officially opened its San Diego, California, campus in August of this year and began offering a DPT program in San Diego.
2009
The University received approvals to begin offering the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree.
2010
The University received approval from CIE to restructure the Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) degree.
2011
In April, Dr. Wanda Nitsch was inaugurated as the fourth President of USAHS. The University headquarters were moved to San Marcos, California.
2012
Construction on the Austin campus began in February. The campus opened with its inaugural DPT class in the fall.
2013
The St. Augustine campus commenced the flexible Master of Occupational Therapy (Flex MOT) degree in the Spring term.
2015
USAHS became a Certified B Corp organization, underscoring the University’s social mission and in alignment with its national movement to address critical health care needs.
2016
The Miami campus’s DPT program accepted its inaugural class of DPT students. State licensure approvals were obtained to begin the DPT program on the Miami campus, as well as an online Master of Science in Nursing program and a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The MHScAT program was redesigned to become the Master of Health Science (MHS) degree program.
2018
In July, the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) awarded candidacy to the University’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) Austin, Texas, program.
2018
In September, the permanent Miami, Florida, campus opened in Coral Gables for the inaugural class of students and the Miami OTD program welcomed its first cohort.
2018
The Austin campus welcomed its inaugural cohort of students in the MS-SLP program in the Fall term.
2019
The Austin, Texas, campus expanded, adding a new administrative building to accommodate more classrooms and labs.
2020
The University Foundation was formed for the purpose of providing financial assistance and other resources to promote the educational achievement of students at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, to advance scientific research conducted by students and faculty of the University, and to provide a public benefit to the communities where the University operates.
2023
The Dallas, Texas, campus relocated to a new, larger, state-of-the-art campus in Irving-Las Colinas, Texas, with 55,050 square feet of classroom, laboratory and administrative space.
2023
The inaugural Alumni Reunion and Family Weekend at the St. Augustine, Florida, campus provided a wonderful opportunity to invite its 15,000+ USAHS Alumni Association members to attend the event.
2024
The University’s Miami, Florida, campus expansion added an additional 15,000+ square feet, including offices and student engagement area.
2024
The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) begins at the San Marcos, California, campus in Fall 2024.
2025
The University moves its St. Augustine facility to its new campus at 1 News Place. The 122,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art campus includes the preservation of the historic building.