Athletic trainers need to enroll in the best and most accredited athletic training programs, to learn and be the best in their profession.
Athletic Trainers due to the nature of their work has to enroll and learn under the tutelage of good instructors, who can guide them and give them hands-on training on how to take care of athletes on the field as assigned to them.
Because of the numerous athletic training programs available, not all of these programs are accredited. It is for this reason that this article is coming our way, to keep us informed on the best accredited athletic training programs. To be accredited means to be officially recognized and to be qualified to perform a particular activity or process. One of the major organizations that are involved in the accreditation of athletic training programs is the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education – (CAATE).
This organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the public and profession by establishing and ensuring compliance with accreditation standards that facilitate quality outcomes, continuous improvement, innovation, and diversity to enhance athletic training education. The CAATE provides educators and clinicians with resources and information to stay informed and compliant with accreditation standards. The Commission knows that leading in this way improves healthcare outcomes.
The CAATE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education (CHEA).
To the organization, accreditation is:
- A voluntary quality assurance process
- A peer review course of action
- A method of validation
- Recognition that an institution/program has met standards set forth by the peer-reviewing body
Before I continue, you can check out these accredited online paramedic programs that you can enroll in if interested.
What should I expect in an Athletic Training Program?
There are a lot of things to expect in an athletic training program. The program is made to teach a lot about the health care of athletes which is to provide services that include primary care, injury and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, emergent care, examination, and clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries, and medical conditions.
Accredited Athletic Training Programs
There are numerous accredited athletic training programs in different schools, but in this section, I will be talking about the best of these accredited programs and the schools that offer them. They are as follows;
- Athletic Training Master of Science Program – University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Master’s Program in Athletic Training – University of Georgia
- Master of Athletic Training (MAT) Degree – University of Central Florida
- Athletic Training Program – Harding University
- Athletic Training Program – Texas Christian University
- M.S in Athletic Training – The University of West Florida
- Athletic Training Program – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
- Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) – University of Connecticut
- Master of Science in Athletic Training (M.S.A.T.) – Indiana University-Bloomington
- B.S. in Sports Medicine plus Masters of Athletic Training M.A.T – Cedarville University
1. Athletic Training Master of Science Program – University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
This is the first school on our list that offers the best-accredited athletics training program. Their school of kinesiology offers a master’s program in athletic training. The Athletic Training Master of Science program at the University of Michigan means unparalleled access to the nation’s top researchers, medical practitioners, and clinical settings. At graduation, their students will be proficient in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries.
Their curriculum combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical experiences and valuable mentorships. Through these experiences, the Athletic Training program prepares students for a career as an athletic trainer in secondary schools, colleges, universities, sports medicine clinics, professional sports programs, industrial settings, and other healthcare environments.
The University of Michigan Athletic Training Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Students who complete this program will receive an Athletic Training Master of Science degree and meet the requirements to sit for the Board of Certification Examination. Certification is required to practice athletic training in most states.
2. Master’s Program in Athletic Training – University of Georgia
At the University of Georgia, their graduate school under the department of kinesiology offers a master’s program in athletic training. The athletic training program is a rigorous, full-time, two-year, six-semester program that will prepare students to become highly skilled and confident healthcare practitioners in the profession of athletic training, capable of entering the healthcare field while practicing in a variety of clinical settings. Students completing this program will be eligible for certification and licensure as athletic trainers. Some of the areas of expertise are;
- Professional, Olympic, collegiate, interscholastic, and recreational sports
- Rehabilitation centers and clinics focused on sports medicine, orthopedics, cardiac rehabilitation, wellness, and neurological rehabilitation
- Physician practices
- Hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers
- Occupational health in industrial, manufacturing, and distribution centers
- Civil services and public safety – Law enforcement and fire departments, branches of the military, NASA
- Performing arts
Students completing this program will be eligible to challenge the Board of Certification, certification examination to become certified and licensed athletic trainers. Additionally, students will be eligible to challenge the National Registry examination to become an Emergency Medicine Technician.
3. Master of Athletic Training (MAT) Degree – University of Central Florida
UCF offers a rigorous full-time, fully accredited graduate program in athletic training leading to the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) degree. The program combines face-to-face learning with hands-on lab experiences, active research, and a diverse clinical component.
By combining excellence in evidence-based, patient-focused education, the latest technologies available, and outstanding clinical site affiliations, the program fully prepares graduates to take and pass the comprehensive Board of Certification (BOC) exam and start their careers as athletic trainers.
The program incorporates the Curricular Content Standards set forth by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Courses are taught in a prescribed sequence (as described in the UCF Graduate Catalog) over six semesters and include full immersion in clinical education settings under the direct supervision of a certified and licensed athletic trainer.
4. Athletic Training Program – Harding University
At Harding University, the Athletic Training Program is located within the College of Allied Health. The mission of this program is to instill essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions for successful careers, advanced study, and servant leadership in the field of athletic training.
The program is accredited by The Commission on Accreditation for Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and is currently transitioning from an undergraduate degree to a Master of Science in Athletic Training (M.S.A.T.).
5. Athletic Training Program – Texas Christian University
At TCU, the Harris college of nursing and health science offers an athletic training program under the department of kinesiology. accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). TCU’s Athletic Training Program provides a student-centered learning experience that links classroom and practical learning, promotes ethical leadership, and produces competent professionals who are well-prepared for a career in athletic training.
Upon admittance to the TCU Athletic Training Program, you will be assigned a preceptor to gain clinical experience that allows for hands-on learning. Preceptors are credentialed healthcare professionals who facilitate education in the clinical environment.
Athletic Training Students will complete clinical experiences, both on-campus in TCU athletic training clinics with a variety of intercollegiate sports, as well as off-campus at high schools, physical therapy clinics, and physician offices.
6. M.S in Athletic Training – The University of West Florida
The University of West Florida offers an M.S. in Athletic Training. The Commission of Accreditation for Athletic Training Education (CAATE) requires degrees for athletic training to be at the master’s level.
The Athletic Training (AT) Program is designed to prepare students for a professional entry-level healthcare career in the athletic training profession. This program, specifically designed to meet national and state licensure requirements, is a two-year master’s level program (54 credit hours) that combines classroom and clinical education teaching/learning strategies. Students completing this MS degree program will be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination.
The Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) degree is offered through the UWF Department of Movement Sciences and Health (MSH). The professional preparation courses in this program encompass the athletic training professional domains. The overall objectives of the Athletic Training Program are to instruct, evaluate, and provide hands-on experience for students in the following domains:
- Injury/Illness Prevention and Wellness Promotion
- Examination, Assessment, and Diagnosis
- Immediate and Emergency Care
- Therapeutic Intervention
- Healthcare Administration & Professional Responsibilities
7. Athletic Training Program – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
The Department of Exercise and Sport Science houses the athletic training program and values diversity in its faculty and student body. They are engaged in sincere efforts to be a leader in Wisconsin’s movement toward increased diversity and inclusiveness.
The Athletic Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Their undergraduate program was fully phased out in May 2020.
The athletic training program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was the first accredited athletic training program in the state of Wisconsin and offers one of the most competitive, in-depth, and hands-on athletic training programs in the country. The athletic training program has gained an excellent reputation for involving its athletic training students in various year-round athletic training opportunities.
8. Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) – University of Connecticut
The Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) at The University of Connecticut prepares athletic trainers to practice in the areas of injury prevention, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate care, treatment, and rehabilitation and reconditioning of illnesses and injuries in a physically active population. The program also prepares the athletic trainer in the areas of organization and administration and professional responsibility.
The program is designed for students who currently hold a bachelor’s degree and aspire to become athletic trainers. The Master’s Program is a 60-credit program completed in 2 years beginning at the end of May of every year.
Students who choose UConn have the chance to learn and interact with faculty that are leading experts in the field.
Students graduating from the MSAT program are eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. Once a student successfully passes the BOC examination, they are eligible to apply for athletic training licensure.
9. Master of Science in Athletic Training (M.S.A.T.) – Indiana University-Bloomington
This university offers a Master of Science in Athletic Training (M.S.A.T.) program under the school of public health. The two-year, CAATE-accredited Post-Professional Athletic Training Program emphasizes increased depth and breadth of knowledge, advanced clinical practice, research, and scholarship for individuals who are already BOC certified or are eligible for certification.
Completion of this competitive degree program will provide you with current evidence-based knowledge, as well as the skills and abilities necessary to deliver quality, patient-centered healthcare. When you graduate, you will be highly qualified for positions in a variety of healthcare environments, such as the traditional college and university settings, high schools and middle schools, as well as the emerging settings of performing arts and military medicine
10. B.S. in Sports Medicine plus Masters of Athletic Training M.A.T – Cedarville University
Cedarville University offers a B.S. in Sports Medicine plus a Master of Athletic Training M.A.T. accelerated completion option, allowing you to complete both degrees in just five years. As an incoming freshman student, you can choose to begin Cedarville’s B.S. in sports medicine program and move into the Master of Athletic Training portion of the degree after three years.
They have strategically designed the B.S. in sports medicine curriculum so the senior year is taken as part of the first year of the planned M.A.T. program. When you are admitted into the M.A.T. program, you can complete a B.S. in sports medicine, a Bible minor, and a Master of Athletic Training degree in five years.
The M.A.T. program will equip you to pass the National Athletic Trainers Association – Board of Certification (NATA-BOC) national exam to become a Certified Athletic Trainer. Through exceptional classroom teaching and real-world, hands-on experiences, Cedarville’s M.A.T. will train you as an effective athletic trainer who serves with Christlike compassion. And, Cedarville’s program is one of the few distinctly Christian M.A.T. programs in the country
The M.A.T. is available in a two-year stand-alone program for those who hold a bachelor’s degree with appropriate prerequisites. Cedarville’s Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
Conclusion
Seeing that these schools that I have talked about all offer accredited athletic training programs, you can now confidently enroll in any of them and get the best that these programs have to offer.
Let me wrap up this article by answering some frequently asked questions about these accredited athletic training programs.
How many athletic training programs are there in the US?
There are 325 accredited collegiate academic programs in the US according to the National Athletics Trainers Association (NATA)
What college has the best athletic training program?
The College with the best athletic training program is the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. It is ranked first as the school with the best athletic training program