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 (49 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:

1. Injury/Illness Prevention and Wellness Promotion - Students identify injury, illness, and risk factors associated with participation in sport/physical activity and implement all components of a comprehensive wellness promotion plan and injury prevention program. 
2. Examination, Assessment, and Diagnosis - Students conduct a thorough initial clinical evaluation of injuries and illnesses commonly sustained by the physically active individual and formulate an initial diagnosis of the injury and/or illness for the primary purposes of administering care or making appropriate referrals to physicians for further diagnosis and medical treatment. 
3. Immediate and Emergency Care - Students provide appropriate first aid and emergency care for acute injuries according to accepted standards and procedures, including effective communication for appropriate and efficient referral, evaluation, diagnosis, and follow-up care. 
4. Therapeutic Intervention - Students plan, design, and implement comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and/or reconditioning protocols that make use of appropriate rehabilitative equipment, manual therapy techniques, or therapeutic modalities for injuries and illnesses. 
5. Healthcare Administration & Professional Responsibilities - Students plan, coordinate and supervise the administrative components of an athletic training program, comply with the most current Board of Certification (BOC) practice standards and state/federal regulations, and develop a commitment to life-long learning and evidence-based clinical practice.

AT students are educated in cognitive and psychomotor skills related to recognition, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses involving the physically active as well as risk management, health care administration, pharmacology, diagnostic imaging, and medical ethics and legal issues. In addition to the didactic courses, students are required to complete a minimum number of clinical education hours in a variety of settings.

Students who want to become certified athletic trainers must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Students will graduate with a Master of Science in Athletic Training and be eligible to sit for the Board of Certification examination.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• A minimum of 3.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and a grade of C or better on all prerequisite courses. The following prerequisite coursework ("C" grade or higher) is required for admission:
  • Anatomy/Physiology with lab - 2 courses
  • Biology with lab - 1 course
  • Physics - 1 course
  • Biomechanics - 1 course
  • Chemistry - 1 course
  • Exercise Physiology - 1 course
  • Nutrition - 1 course
  • Psychology - 1 course
  • Statistics - 1 course
• Preferred coursework: 
  • Principles of Athletic Training or equivalent - 1 course
  • Functional Kinesiology - 1 course
• 50 hours of observation under a licensed and certified athletic trainer
• Two (2) letters of recommendation - one letter should be from a practicing athletic trainer
• A resume/curriculum vitae
• Letter of intent for Athletic Training

Progression Requirements

In order to matriculate through the MSAT program, students must earn a grade of “B” or better in all courses. Any course grade below this will require a course retake which will delay progression through the MSAT program and graduation. Any course grade below a “B” will be considered a failure. A student will not be able to advance in the curricular sequence until the course is successfully repeated at a B or better. A student who has had two or more course failures in the MSAT program will be dismissed from the program. Additionally, students must follow all UWF Graduate School and UWF MSAT program policies outlined in the UWF MSAT Student Handbook. 

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ATHLETIC TRAINING

Required Courses: 49 credits