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Athletic Training Programs: Degrees, CAATE Accreditation, and Career Requirements

By Chris Gaglardi
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If your goal is to become an athletic trainer, do not choose a program simply because it has "sports medicine" in the name. For new U.S. entrants, the pathway is much more specific: complete the undergraduate preparation your target programs require, graduate from a CAATE-accredited professional master's program in athletic training , pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam , and meet the legal requirements of the state where you plan to practice.

That is a major change from older advice. Bachelor's-level professional athletic training programs stopped enrolling new students after fall 2022. Athletic trainers already certified through the previous bachelor's route did not have to go back to school, but today's prospective students should plan around the master's-level pathway.

"Sports medicine" is still a useful umbrella term. It is not, however, one standardized professional credential. A bachelor's degree in sports medicine, kinesiology, exercise science, health science, or biology may help prepare you for graduate athletic training, but the bachelor's degree title is not what determines BOC eligibility.

Education & Program Path

Accreditation & Career

The Athletic Training Pathway at a Glance

Step What it means
1. Complete undergraduate preparation Earn a bachelor's degree and complete the prerequisites required by the professional programs you are considering, or enter an integrated bachelor's/master's pathway.
2. Complete a CAATE professional program Graduate from a CAATE-accredited professional master's degree in athletic training.
3. Pass the BOC exam Complete the BOC certification process and pass the national certification exam.
4. Meet state requirements Obtain the license, registration, certification, or other legal recognition required where you intend to practice. Rules vary by state.

Before enrolling, verify the specific athletic training program in CAATE's official directory. A school's institutional accreditation does not replace the programmatic accreditation needed for this professional pathway.

Is Athletic Training a Good Fit for You?

Athletic training can fit people who want hands-on healthcare work involving injury prevention, assessment, emergency care, rehabilitation, and direct patient interaction. Athletic trainers work in schools, hospitals, clinics, sports organizations, the military, law enforcement, performing arts, and other settings.

Think twice if you mainly want a short certificate, an education completed entirely from home, or a predictable 9-to-5 schedule. The professional route requires graduate study and substantial clinical education. Athletic trainers who work with teams may also work evenings and weekends or travel to events.

And despite the name, an athletic trainer is not a personal trainer. Athletic training is a healthcare profession. Personal training centers on fitness instruction and exercise programming and follows a different education and credentialing structure.

What Degree Do You Need to Become an Athletic Trainer?

New entrants generally need a master's degree in athletic training from a professional program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) .

CAATE's professional standards require these programs to award a master's degree in athletic training. Schools use titles such as Master of Athletic Training (MAT), Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT), or another institutionally approved master's designation that clearly identifies athletic training.

The initials matter less than the program type. The key question is whether it is a CAATE-accredited professional program designed to prepare students to enter the profession and become eligible for the BOC certification process.

Why do bachelor's athletic training programs still appear online?

The Athletic Training Strategic Alliance announced the move to a professional master's degree in May 2015. CAATE later set fall 2022 as the point after which baccalaureate professional programs could no longer enroll new students.

The change did not invalidate older credentials. Athletic trainers already certified through the former bachelor's pathway were not required to earn another degree.

You may still encounter bachelor's-level athletic training references because:

  • Old college pages and third-party databases remain online.
  • Legacy or teach-out records still appear in accreditation information.
  • Some colleges use an undergraduate athletic training major within an integrated bachelor's/master's pathway.

Central Michigan University, for example, currently offers a 3+2 BSAT/MSAT pathway: three years of undergraduate study followed by two years of graduate athletic training education. Students in that combined program must complete both degrees. That is very different from a standalone bachelor's route to professional eligibility.

If you see "athletic training major" on a college website, find the professional master's component and verify its CAATE status.

What Does a Sports Medicine Degree Mean?

There is no single national credential called a "sports medicine degree" that qualifies graduates for every sports-medicine career.

Colleges may use the term sports medicine in programs related to exercise science, kinesiology, sports science, human performance, pre-health preparation, or athletic training. Rice University, for example, currently offers an undergraduate major in Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology. That is an academic degree, not a CAATE professional athletic training master's program.

The practical rule is simple: choose the occupation first, then verify the credential that occupation requires. Do not assume the words "sports medicine" tell you what profession a degree qualifies you to enter.

What Should You Major in Before an Athletic Training Master's Program?

There is no universal bachelor's major for admission to professional athletic training programs.

Kinesiology, exercise science, health science, biology, and similar majors can be convenient because they often overlap with graduate prerequisites. Another bachelor's degree can also work if you complete the required coursework.

Current program requirements vary, but commonly requested subjects include:

  • anatomy and physiology
  • biology
  • chemistry
  • physics
  • psychology
  • statistics
  • exercise physiology
  • nutrition at some programs
  • kinesiology or biomechanics at some programs

Other admissions requirements can vary just as much. Some programs require observation experience with certified athletic trainers. GPA thresholds differ. Many use the Athletic Training Centralized Application Service (ATCAS), but applicants should verify the exact process with each school.

Current programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Georgia, and Temple University all require a science-heavy group of prerequisites, but the details are not identical. That is why a prerequisite map is more useful than chasing a supposedly perfect undergraduate major.

How Long Are Athletic Training Programs?

CAATE requires professional athletic training clinical education to span at least two academic years.

A common post-baccalaureate route is therefore:

  1. Complete a bachelor's degree and the required prerequisites.
  2. Enter a professional master's program with at least two academic years of clinical education.
  3. Complete BOC certification and the requirements of the state where you plan to practice.

Integrated programs can combine undergraduate and graduate study. A 3+2 structure, for example, may lead to both degrees in about five years if you meet the program's progression requirements.

Do not assume every accelerated pathway works the same way. Check when the professional graduate phase begins, which degrees are awarded, whether admission to that phase is competitive, and what GPA or progression standards apply.

Clinical Education and Online or Hybrid Programs

Professional athletic training education combines graduate coursework with patient-care experiences.

Current CAATE standards require clinical education to progress toward increasingly complex and autonomous patient care. Programs must provide adequate interactions with real clients and patients across varied populations. They also must include at least one immersive athletic training clinical experience lasting at least one continuous four-week period.

Can you earn an athletic training degree online?

Some programs may deliver coursework online or in hybrid formats. But the professional degree cannot be completed entirely from home because the required clinical education includes real patient interactions and in-person experiences.

CAATE does not impose one universal campus-residency schedule on every hybrid program. Before applying, find out:

  • Which courses are online?
  • Where are clinical placements completed?
  • Can placements occur near where you live?
  • Will you need to travel or temporarily relocate?
  • Are campus visits or skills labs required?
  • Who arranges clinical sites and preceptors?

Those details can matter as much as headline tuition.

CAATE Accreditation: What to Verify Before You Enroll

CAATE is the specialized programmatic accreditor for athletic training education. If you need the broader context first, see TSNET's guide to accreditation. For a prospective athletic trainer, the important question is not merely, "Is this college accredited?" It is:

Is the specific athletic training program a CAATE-accredited professional program?

Pay attention to program status

CAATE publishes program statuses in its official directory. Two distinctions are especially useful:

  • Initial Accreditation or Continuing Accreditation: The program is accredited.
  • Seeking Initial Accreditation: The program is pursuing accreditation but has not yet received it.

CAATE states that graduates of a professional program that is only Seeking Initial Accreditation are not eligible for the athletic-training credentialing examination. Students cannot apply for the BOC exam through that program until CAATE officially awards accreditation.

That does not automatically make a new program a bad choice, but it does create real timing risk. Ask what happens if accreditation is not granted before your expected graduation.

Use program outcomes without inventing a ranking

Current CAATE standards require program benchmarks at or above:

  • 75% three-year aggregate graduation rate
  • 70% three-year aggregate graduate placement rate
  • 70% three-year aggregate overall BOC exam pass rate

Older sources may cite a 70% first-time BOC pass requirement. That is outdated. The current standard uses overall pass rate.

Use outcome data as context alongside cost, accreditation history, clinical placements, and fit. A spreadsheet does not magically turn a healthcare program into the NFL draft.

BOC Certification and State Requirements

The Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC) administers the national certification process.

BOC states that students and graduates on the standard U.S. route must complete an entry-level athletic training education program accredited by CAATE and pass the BOC Certification Exam to attain certification. Candidates must be confirmed by the recognized program director of the CAATE-accredited program.

Use the current BOC candidate handbook when you are close to applying. Exam windows, documentation procedures, fees, and other candidate details can change.

BOC certification does not replace state authorization

BOC currently reports that 49 states plus the District of Columbia regulate the practice of athletic training . The BOC exam is recognized by athletic-trainer state regulatory agencies for their exam requirement, but graduates still must satisfy the legal rules where they intend to work.

California is the major exception to simple "every state licenses athletic trainers" wording. California has title-protection law for athletic trainers, but the Medical Board of California states that athletic trainers are not a licensed profession in the state and that the law did not create a Medical Board regulatory program.

The new Athletic Trainer Compact is intended to make multistate practice easier for qualifying licensed athletic trainers. Its seven-state activation threshold was reached in May 2026, but BOC says compact privileges are not expected to begin until late 2027 or early 2028 while the compact commission builds the rules and infrastructure. For now, check each state's requirements directly.

How to Compare Athletic Training Programs

Use this checklist before applying or enrolling:

  1. Verify the exact professional program in CAATE's directory. Do not stop at general institutional accreditation.
  2. Confirm the pathway. Is it a standalone master's, a 3+2 integrated program, or another combined structure?
  3. Compare your transcript with the prerequisites. One missing science course can change your timeline.
  4. Review CAATE Program Information and Outcomes. Look at graduation, placement, and overall BOC pass data without pretending they form a universal ranking.
  5. Understand clinical education. Ask about settings, immersive experiences, preceptors, travel, and placement logistics.
  6. Compare complete disclosed costs. CAATE requires programs to provide information about tuition, fees, travel costs, clothing, financial aid, and clinical-site travel expectations.
  7. Investigate hybrid logistics. Find out exactly what is online and where the required in-person experiences occur.
  8. Check the state where you plan to practice. Use BOC's state directory and the appropriate state agency.

Athletic Trainer vs. Personal Trainer, PT, and PTA

Career Typical entry education Main distinction
Athletic trainer Professional master's in athletic training Healthcare profession focused on injury and illness prevention, evaluation, emergency care, rehabilitation, and related patient care; CAATE/BOC/state pathway applies.
Personal trainer / fitness trainer Requirements vary; BLS lists high school diploma as typical entry education for fitness trainers Fitness instruction and exercise programming. Employer and certification expectations vary; this is not the athletic-training healthcare credential.
Physical therapist Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Licensed healthcare profession focused on improving movement and managing pain across a wide range of patients and conditions.
Physical therapist assistant Associate degree from an accredited PTA program Provides treatment under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist; separate PTA credentialing pathway.

A master's in athletic training is not simply a shorter version of physical therapy, and a personal-training certification is not a lightweight athletic-training credential. They lead to different jobs.

TSNET has separate guides for physical therapist careers , physical therapist assistant programs , personal trainer programs , and becoming a personal trainer .

Athletic Trainer Salary, Outlook, and Work Settings

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, athletic trainers held about 33,900 jobs in 2024. The median annual wage was $60,250 in May 2024 .

BLS projects employment to grow 11% from 2024 to 2034 , compared with 3% for all occupations. That represents about 3,800 additional jobs. BLS also projects about 2,400 openings per year , on average, including openings created when workers leave the occupation or labor force.

The $60,250 figure is a national occupational median, not a promised starting salary. Earnings vary by industry, location, experience, and other factors.

Educational services accounted for 43% of athletic trainer jobs in 2024, followed by hospitals at 18%, offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists and audiologists at 10%, and arts, entertainment, and recreation at 7%. Athletic trainers also work with professional sports, the military, law enforcement, and performing artists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you become an athletic trainer with a bachelor's degree?

Not through the current standard U.S. entry route. New entrants need a CAATE-accredited professional master's program. Athletic trainers certified under the former bachelor's-level pathway were not required to return for another degree.

Is athletic training always a two-year master's degree?

CAATE requires professional clinical education to span at least two academic years. Many standalone master's programs are built around roughly two years of graduate study, while integrated programs combine undergraduate and graduate phases. Verify the exact curriculum and progression requirements.

What undergraduate major is best for athletic training?

There is no universal required major. Kinesiology, exercise science, health science, and biology can cover many common prerequisites, but another bachelor's degree can work if you complete the courses required by the professional programs you target.

Is a sports medicine degree the same as athletic training?

No. Sports medicine is a broad field and colleges use the term in different degree names. A sports medicine bachelor's degree does not automatically qualify you for BOC certification. Verify the specific CAATE professional program.

Can I complete an athletic training master's online?

Some programs offer online or hybrid coursework, but professional athletic training education includes in-person clinical experiences with real patients and at least one continuous four-week immersive experience. Delivery logistics vary by program.

How do I verify a program for BOC eligibility?

Search CAATE's official directory and verify the exact program's type and status. A program that is only Seeking Initial Accreditation is not yet equivalent to an accredited professional program for credentialing eligibility.

Is an athletic trainer the same as a personal trainer?

No. Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals educated through CAATE-accredited professional programs and certified through the BOC pathway. Personal trainers work primarily in fitness and exercise instruction and follow different credentialing routes.

Does every state require an athletic trainer license?

No. BOC reports that 49 states plus D.C. regulate athletic-training practice, but terminology and requirements vary. California uses title protection rather than athletic-trainer licensure. Verify current rules with the state agency where you plan to work.

Before You Enroll

Work backward from professional eligibility instead of forward from a college's marketing page:

  1. Confirm that athletic training is the profession you actually want.
  2. Verify the professional program in CAATE's directory.
  3. Confirm the degree structure and prerequisites.
  4. Understand clinical placements, travel, and delivery format.
  5. Compare complete program costs and outcomes.
  6. Review BOC and state requirements before you commit.

If your goal is athletic training, that sequence matters more than whether a program calls itself "sports medicine," "human performance," or something equally impressive-sounding.

When exploring schools through Trade-Schools.net, remember that program availability varies. If your goal is BOC eligibility as an athletic trainer, verify the exact professional program in CAATE's official directory before enrolling.

Sources

Requirements, program status, exam procedures, and state rules can change. Verify current details with CAATE, BOC, and the appropriate state agency before making an enrollment or credentialing decision.