Description of the Major

Athletic training is a 56-hour program that includes a wide variety of clinical experience under the supervision of a certified athletic trainer and other health care professionals. Students spend one year of directed observation before applying to the program. Once accepted, the student is involved in on-campus clinical experiences and off-campus affiliated rotations, in addition to rigorous coursework.

A student will work with different types of athletes in an athletic setting (university and high school athletes), where they will experience the assessment and management of upper extremity as well as lower extremity injuries. In addition, all students will gain experience working with an equipment-intensive sport (football), as well as receive experience in a general medical setting. During clinical experiences, students will be “hands-on” with the athletes or patients in that setting, with the guidance and supervision of a clinical instructor.

By the time the student graduates, he/she will have had experience in the areas of injury assessment and management, administration of therapeutic modalities and rehabilitation programs, emergency procedures, as well as administrative duties and responsibilities.

Accreditation

The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) is the national organization that accredits athletic training education programs in the United States. Anderson University offers a CAATE-accredited athletic training curriculum. Athletic training students will meet the requirements to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination through educational programs accredited by CAATE. Anderson University was the first private university in the state of Indiana with CAATE accreditation. Anderson University offers a student the benefits of a private school and a Christian-based education with extensive clinical experience as a part of a nationally accredited athletic training education program.

Certification

To practice as an athletic trainer, individuals must successfully complete the BOC examination, which is a computer-based examination that the student is eligible to take after successfully completing the requirements of an accredited athletic training education program. Furthermore, one must meet individual state licensure requirements to practice as an athletic trainer.

Tradition

Anderson University has a great tradition of knowledgeable, dedicated, hard working athletic training students who have been very successful in their postgraduate & career pursuits. The smaller size of the program enables us to provide quality education and clinical experiences for each student. As a CAATE-accredited program, we expose our students to a high level of instruction, clinical experience, equipment, and facilities, which are unavailable at many other small, private institutions. A great majority of our students have been successful in passing the BOC examination, and many have gone on to receive a master's or other health care degrees. Anderson University is very proud of its curriculum and facilities, which ranks A.U. among the finest athletic training education programs in the region.