Master of Science in Athletic Training-Professional Program

Sports club trainer

The Master of Science of Athletic Training (MSAT) program at Old Dominion University is a full-time two-year (24 continuous months) course of study that prepares students in the domains of athletic training practice. The program is a combination of hybrid and in-person coursework that includes classroom and laboratory instruction, seminars, and clinical experiences. Our faculty is dedicated to excellence in professional teaching, research, and service to the profession, to the university, and to the community.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Master of Science of Athletic Training program is to develop exceptional clinicians accomplished in the delivery of evidence-informed care, in collaboration with other healthcare providers, for diverse client/patient populations with a variety of health conditions.

Our vision is to:

  • Create clinicians who prioritize the needs of the patient within policy development and clinical decision-making to address the quality of health and well-being across the lifespan.
  • Develop scholarly clinicians who are dedicated to the creation, dissemination, and appraisal of new knowledge within the field.
  • Prepare healthcare providers that are capable advocates for themselves, their patients, and the profession.
  • Promote the core competencies in the delivery of care in pursuit of the IHI Triple Aim of healthcare.

Information for Prospective Students

MSAT technical standards, current clinical sites, length of program, program costs, and immunization requirements. 

Program Information

Students are admitted to the program after completion of a bachelor's degree and prerequisite coursework. Application review begins as they are received and will continue on a rolling basis until all positions have been filled. Admission into the program is competitive.

Application to the program occurs via the Athletic Training Centralized Application Service (ATCAS). The ATCAS website will be open to applicants on July 1 each year. Please note, that graduate record examination (GRE) scores are NOT required for admission to the program. Please follow the directions for the application found at the ATCAS site.

Admission Requirements

Students must have:

  1. A completed application through the Athletic Training Centralized Application Service (ATCAS) that includes transcripts, resume & cover letter, statement of interest in the ODU MSAT program, verification of 15 clock hours of observation with an athletic trainer, and two recommendations from professional or academic references.

  2. A bachelor's degree and official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate program attended at a regionally accredited institution or an equivalent foreign institution.

  3. A minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 in undergraduate coursework.

  4. Completion of the following pre-requisites at Old Dominion University or another regionally accredited institution, with a minimum grade of C in each course, and a minimum pre-requisite grade point average of 3.0 (the first five are laboratory sciences courses):

    • Biology (with lab)
    • Chemistry (with lab)
    • Physics (with lab)
    • Anatomy OR Anatomy & Physiology I (with lab)
    • Physiology OR Anatomy & Physiology II (with lab)
    • Biomechanics OR Kinesiology
    • Psychology
    • Nutrition
    • Statistics

Associate Professor Rehabilitation Sciences
Assistant Professor Rehabilitation Sciences
Associate Professor Rehabilitation Sciences
Clinical Assistant Professor Rehabilitation Sciences

The professional MSAT program at Old Dominion University admitted its first cohort of students during the 2019-2020 academic year. All of our programmatic outcomes can also be viewed on the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education's webpage via this link: https://caate.net/program-info/602/ This page is updated annually each summer once outcomes data becomes available.

  2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 3 Year Aggregate
Number of students graduating from program. 3 9 8 20
Number of students graduating from program who took examination. 3 8 8 19
Number of students who passed the examination on first attempt. 2 7 5 14
Percentage of students who passed the examination on the first attempt. 67 88 62.5 73
Number of students who passed the examination regardless of the number of attempts. 2 7 6 15
Percentage of students who passed the examination regardless of number of attempts. 67 88 75 79

Measures the percentage of students who have enrolled in the professional program who return to the institution to continue their studies in the program the following academic year.

2019-
2020
2020-
2021
2021-
2022
2022-2023 3 Year Aggregate
Number of students beginning program (cohort number) 4 10 8 14 32
Number of students returning for subsequent year 2 4 9 8 13 30
Program retention rate (%) 100 90 100 92 94
Number of students returning for subsequent year 3 (if applicable)          
Program retention rate (%)        

Graduation rate (taken from the United States Department of Education): Measures the progress of students who began their studies as full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students by showing the percentage of these students who complete their degree or certificate within 150% of "normal time" for completing the program in which they are enrolled.

Graduation rate is calculated as the sum of students with a Graduated status divided by the total number of students in the cohort (excluding students with the status of leave of absence (medical) or deceased.)

Graduate employment/placement rate: Percentage of students within 6 months of graduation that have obtained positions in the following categories: employed as an athletic trainer, employed as other, and not employed.

The employment/placement rate is calculated as the sum of students with Employed as an Athletic Trainer or Employed as an Athletic Trainer and in a degree or residency program then divided by the total number of students who have graduated (excluding students with a Not Employed, due to military service and Deceased.)

  2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 3 Year Aggregate
Number of students Employed as AT 0 2 6 8
Student Employment/Placement rate as AT (%) 0 67 75 73
Number of students employed as other 0 1 2 3
Student Employment/Placement rate as other (%) 0 33 25 27
Student Employed Rate Regardless of Position Type (%) 0 100 100 100
Number of students not employed 0 0 0 0
Student Not Employed Rate (%) 0 0 0 0

Accreditation

Old Dominion University's athletic training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) located at 2001 K Street NW, 3rd Floor North, Washington, DC 20006. The program will have its next comprehensive review during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Program Director Contact

Associate Professor Rehabilitation Sciences