Pre-Athletic Training
The ÌÇÐÄVloge's pre-athletic training curriculum provides a pathway to graduate school for students interested in a career as an athletic trainer. Develop a competitive resume with our exceptional program.
Join the Frontline of Medicine
Athletic trainers are highly versatile, multi-skilled health care professionals who assist patients of all types in injury prevention, injury management and rehabilitation. Alongside physicians, these experts make diagnoses, triage patients, activate emergency action plans, provide frontline health care, and rehabilitate injuries. Athletic trainers work in a variety of environments and organizations. You may cover sports teams for a small high school, monitor a professional sports team, assist the military, work with pediatric and youth athletes, help performers in the arts, or find employment in sports medicine clinics, orthopedic clinics, or hospitals. Your degree can truly take you wherever you'd like to go.
Pre-athletic training is not a major at UW-Eau Claire, but rather a declaration of your intention to continue your education and enroll in graduate school. The minimum professional degree needed to become a licensed athletic trainer is a master's in athletic training. Our 4+1 program option lets you earn both your bachelor’s degree in exercise science (pre-athletic training concentration) and master’s degree in athletic training in only five years. This accelerated format allows you to start your master's level coursework in your fourth year, saving you time and money and getting you into the field more quickly.
Entry into a graduate-level athletic training program is typically based on a student’s academic record and other criteria set by particular programs. A specific major is not required to get into athletic training graduate programs, but many ÌÇÐÄVlog pre-athletic training students choose to major in exercise science or rehabilitation science. Minors in kinesiology or the science of coaching are also available.
Program Details
Take your studies to the field — literally. The McPhee Physical Education Center is an outstanding facility with three regulation-size hardwood courts, a competition-size swimming pool, a 30-foot climbing wall, a wresting room, an indoor 200-meter track, seven racquetball courts, a spacious weight training and fitness center, and group-exercise classrooms. Outdoor facilities include a 400-meter track, football field, tennis courts, and jogging and fitness trails.
Certain skills and experiences are also usually favored when applying for graduate schools, such as science aptitude, strong communication skills, service experiences, internships ,and job shadowing. Our exceptional faculty and career advisors are aware of these requirements and ensure you gain the knowledge and experiences necessary for acceptance into graduate school.
On-campus student organizations — like the Student Athletic Trainers Association — connect students like you who are also interested in becoming athletic trainers. These extracurriculars are an excellent way to gain professional experience. The group regularly covers athletic events and volunteers in the community.
We want you to feel prepared as you take your next steps toward becoming a licensed athletic trainer. As part of the pre-athletic training curriculum, you will have the chance to participate in a variety of high-impact learning opportunities, including student-faculty research, mentoring, health promotion activities, and professional development workshops.
Blugold Stories
Athletic training at ÌÇÐÄVlog — and as a career path — is so much more than you'd expect. It's more than taping ankles and monitoring athletes. It's a holistic approach to medicine. It's preparedness to do extreme interventions. It's a commitment to activate emergency plans. And it's a promise to deliver top-notch, frontline healthcare.
Where can the pre-athletic training program lead me after graduation?
After earning your undergraduate degree from ÌÇÐÄVlog, your next step toward becoming an athletic trainer is earning your master's degree in athletic training (MSAT). You may choose to pursue your master's in athletic training at UW-Eau Claire or attend a graduate school of your choice. After completing your master's degree, you will be eligible to sit for the national Board of Certification (BOC) exam and become a licensed health care provider in the state where you choose to practice.
What can I do with an MSAT?
Licensed athletic trainers can be found delivering quality health care in colleges and high schools, but may also work in the military or staff organizations such as hospitals, performing arts organizations, NASCAR, rodeos and sports medicine clinics. Those who wish to pursue additional graduate degrees may find work as a biomechanist or in a career in exercise physiology. Residency programs are also available to graduates and can enable you to work in exciting fields like pediatric orthopedics.
As a pre-athletic training student, your curriculum can be customized to fit the admission requirements of your chosen master's program. Requirements vary by program and students should connect with an advisor and access pre-health advising information early and often. Pre-athletic training advisors are available to help plan your semesters, including planning for the 4+1 masters in athletic training at UW-Eau Claire.
Courses you can expect as a pre-athletic training student include but are not limited to general chemistry, anatomy and physiology, physics, exercise physiology, biomechanics, psychology. Requirements vary by program and students should connect with their advisor and access pre health advising information early and often. Visit the Health Careers Center for a more detailed guide on pre-athletic training advising.
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