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The School of Health Professions and Sciences was established by the Board of Supervisors on April 2, 1970, became operational on July 1, 1970, and, through 1976, operated solely on the New Orleans campus. In 1977, School expanded to a second campus in Shreveport, offering degree programs in Cardiopulmonary Science, Medical Laboratory Science, and Communication Disorders. During the early 1980s, the Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy departments initiated expansion programs in Shreveport, and in 1994 a Physician Assistant program was established. On March 25, 2004, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport’s establishment of School as a unit separate and distinct from New Orleans. In 2006, School began offering the Master of Public Health, a joint degree program with the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport and LSU Shreveport. In 2020, School established the PhD in Rehabilitation Science. In 2023, the Board of Regents approved the Center of Academic Excellence in Patient-Centered Rehabilitation (CAE-PaCeR), housed within School of Health Professions and Sciences, to foster patient-centered rehabilitation within an academic culture of excellence in clinical learning, innovation, and collaboration; CAE-PaCeR’s goals are to teach, heal, and discover through strategic investments in teaching, research, and scholarships to best serve students, patients, faculty, the community, and the State of Louisiana. In 2024, School introduced the Bachelor of Science in Cardiovascular Technology and a 100% online Degree Advancement Program enabling respiratory therapists with associate degrees to earn the Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Science. In 2025, the LSU Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents approved changing the name from the School of Allied Health Professions to the School of Health Professions and Sciences.
At present, the School of Health Professions and Sciences comprises ten academic programs, three post-professional residency programs for physical therapists, a doctoral internship in health service psychology, and three specialized clinics: the Children’s Center, the Mollie E. Webb Speech and Hearing Center, and the Rehabilitation Clinic. LSU Health Shreveport is also an off-campus instructional site for three nursing programs offered by LSU Health New Orleans. All educational programs of the School have been approved by the appropriate State agencies and are fully accredited by the appropriate nationally recognized credentialing bodies.
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