Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration with a physician, in accordance with their education, training and the state's statutes, rules and regulations. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions of injured athletes.
Athletic trainers are often confused with personal trainers. Athletic trainers follow a clinical training that’s based on the medical model focusing on injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Personal trainers are fitness consultants who create guides for clients through exercises and nutrition.
If you are interested in learning more about athletic training, check out the National Athletic Trainers’ Association: Athletic Training for more about what the profession is and why you should become one.
Athletic Training Preparation
- Timeline
1. (4+ years) Obtain a Bachelor’s degree and complete all pre-athletic training requirements, including prerequisites, the GRE (if applicable), and experiences
2. (2 years) Attend an accredited athletic training program under CAATE and earn a master’s degree in athletic training
3. Take the Board of Certification (BOC) Exam
4. Become licensed in the state you wish to practice
Optional: students can apply for residency, fellowships, or specialty certifications after they apply for state licensure. These programs offer further mentorship and training to build upon their professional education
Optional: students can also pursue further education to get an academic doctorate (PhD, EdD) or clinical doctorate (DAT, DHSC)
To learn more, visit National Athletic Training Association: Education Overview.
Upon matriculation into a health professional program, there are additional steps students must complete in order to obtain licensure or professional certification. These steps vary by field and by program, and may include board examinations, supervised clinical hours, background checks, or other program-specific milestones. Once you are in your graduate program, your graduate program advisor will provide guidance on the post-graduation next steps.
- Pre-Requisites
Prerequisite courses are the academic foundation that most programs require students to complete before beginning an athletic training program. No matter which major you choose, you will need to fulfill the specific science and non-science prerequisites set by each program. Always review and cross-check the requirements of your major with the prerequisite coursework for your selected Athletic Training Program(s) to ensure you are completing both UCD requirements as well as the requirements of the professional program(s).
While HPA has developed a suggested prerequisite chart from a sample of programs, prerequisite coursework and entrance requirements will vary by program, hence it is important to check individual programs' websites to familiarize yourself with their exact prerequisites.Program Prerequisites Courses to take at UC Davis Most schools require: General Biology with Lab BIO 1 & 2 & 3 AND BIO 1L & 2L General Chemistry CHE 2ABC Physics PHY 7ABC Human Anatomy with Lab EXB 106 & 106L OR CHA 101 & 101L Human Physiology with Lab NPB 101 & 101L OR NPB 110C & 101L Psychology
PSC 1
Exercise Physiology
EXB 101
Nutrition
NUT 10 & NUT 11
Some schools require: Statistics
STA 13 OR STA 100
Medical Terminology
Not offered at UCD, typically offered at Community College as an online course
Biomechanics
NPB 109
HPA recommendations:
1. Complete all prerequisite courses for a letter grade, not P/NP.
2. Earn a “C” or higher in all prerequisite coursework. Some programs may require no lower than a B in any of your prerequisite courses.
3. Maintain a minimum undergraduate and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. A competitive GPA will likely be higher for most programs.
Please also note that athletic training programs do accept community college work in varying degrees; some accept all transferable work, some a certain amount of units, and others accept a very limited amount. If you have any questions about your major, prerequisite courses, or grade/GPA concerns, you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of HPA Staff Advisors.
- Exam
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) may be required by some athletic training programs and it is strongly recommended to be taken prior to applying. You can speak with a HPA Staff Advisor about your specific timeline. Check each individual program’s admissions webpage that you are applying to to see if they require it.
Please note: The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is not a course-dependent test, meaning there are no specific UCD courses you need to take to prepare. The best way is to give yourself time to study the test by buying test prep books or taking a test prep course.
To learn more about the standardized exam and preparing for it, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Standardized Exams and HPA’s Test Prep Events & Resources.
Applying to Athletic Training Programs
- Choosing Programs
There are over 200 athletic training programs in the U.S. Check out the Commission of Accreditation of Athletic Training Education’s list of accredited U.S. Athletic Training programs.
There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which Athletic Training programs to apply to, including degree awarded, location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching programs online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. On average, pre-health profession students apply to 6 to 10 athletic training programs. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your program list.
- Application System
Applicants apply before or early the year they matriculate into the Athletic Training program and Athletic Training Centralized Application System (ATCAS) is a centralized application system that is used by most programs. To learn more about ATCAS, visit the Commission of Accreditation of Athletic Training Education: Apply with ATCAS. Students are encouraged to refer to the ATCAS Applicant Help Center for additional guidance on how to complete their applications. Some programs will have applicants participate in ATCAS and will also have applicants complete an application through their own internal graduate program applications, while other programs do not use ATCAS at all. HPA recommends for applicants to carefully review the application process of each individual program that they are applying to.
The ATCAS opens in late June and closes early June of the next year; these dates may vary for programs who are not utilizing the ATCAS. While ATCAS closes in late June, participating programs of ATCAS may have earlier deadline dates, which are the deadlines applicants should be submitting by. These deadlines may also vary by programs or some may admit students on a rolling basis; please check your individual programs for specific dates. If that is the case for your program of choice, be sure to submit your application early, but only when you are ready. Come see an advisor at Health Professions Advising to review your application.
Programs and application systems may have specific guidelines about what is considered a completed application, and these components may vary based on the application system and/or individual program. Some examples include but are not limited to submitting the application fee and receiving letters of recommendations and official transcripts. Students are responsible for ensuring their applications are complete, submitted, and verified by the application deadline.
To learn more about applications and application timeline, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications and Application Timelines.
- Personal Statement
- The prompt and/or character or word count may vary per year. HPA recommends applicants begin drafting their personal statement in advance of the application opening. It is very common for applicants to write multiple drafts before they finalize their personal statement. To learn more about approaching personal statements, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Personal Statements.
- Experiences and Activities
Experiences and activities help students learn more about their motivations, interests, and goals, and to explore the field of athletic training. What you do with your time helps define who you are in your application. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and understand your motivation for pursuing it. It is important that you balance your co-curricular activities with your academics to ensure you are maintaining strong academic performance while still engaging meaningfully outside the classroom.
Most athletic training programs require shadowing or observation hours under a certified athletic trainer. program requirements will vary such between how many hours, how many athletic trainers, and even what settings you need to shadow in (e.g. university/college, program, and/or clinic). Students are encouraged to look at the programs’ own requirements to see how many hours they need before applying to a specific program.
Some athletic training programs may require applicants to submit proof of Emergency Cardiac Care (CPR/AED) Certifications that meets the BOC Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) Standards at the time of application or after matriculating into the program. Students are recommended to check the application components and process of the programs’ they are applying to.
To learn more about experiences and various on- and off-campus opportunities, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Experiences. UC Davis students are also encouraged to subscribe to HPA Today (HPA’s newsletter).
Click here to see a powerpoint with more information about gaining PA Experiences.- Letters of Recommendation
Letter of recommendation requirements vary by athletic training programs. For many health fields, HPA recommends two lecture-based science instructor recommendations (this excludes research PI), one lecture-based non-science instructor, and additional letters from your co-curricular experiences. This can include a research PI, mentor, volunteer coordinator, professional you shadowed, etc. Your specific program list will determine what letters you may actually need.
To learn more about the etiquettes for letters of recommendation, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Letters of Recommendations.
- Supplemental Applications
- Supplemental applications (or secondaries) may be required for some athletic training programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. Supplemental/secondary applications may include additional fees and/or essays. To learn more about supplemental applications, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications.
- Interviews
- Interviews may be required for some athletic training programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. To learn more about preparing for interviews, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Interviews and HPA’s Interview Week.
More questions? Check out the frequently asked questions or schedule an appointment with an advisor.