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Student taping an ankle during a UWEC soccer game

Master of Science in Athletic Training

Prepare for your career as an athletic trainer with a master’s degree in athletic training from UW-Eau Claire.

Available as
Graduate Degree
Description

A Crucial Part of the Healthcare Team

Our rigorous program will give you the education and experience needed to pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam and become a highly educated, versatile healthcare professional. Interactive coursework, relevant clinical experiences, and career-focused research opportunities will provide you with the skills to assist patients of all types in injury prevention, injury management, and rehabilitation. Learn how to triage patients, activate emergency action plans, communicate with a broad range of people, and become a comprehensive healthcare provider in an ever-changing environment.

In addition to clinical experience, you'll also have the opportunity to receive professional mentorship from preceptors. As part of a complete health team, you'll have clinical education experiences with a certified athletic trainer and a licensed physician, monitoring and assisting athletes competing in a variety of sports. A strong collaboration with Mayo Clinic for patient care, impactful research, and interprofessional practice — as well as other schools, universities, and minor league teams in the area — open even more doors to unique internships, experiences, and networks.

If you're still exploring undergraduate programs, 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.

Whether your goal is to be working on the sidelines of a professional team or managing patients in a clinical setting, our program is designed to equip you with the experience and knowledge necessary to enter the career force confidently.

Degree Types

Program Details

Degree Types
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Level graduate
Available asGraduate Degree
Program Length 2 years
Campus
Eau Claire
Offered
On Campus
Requires a minor No
Authored on

Accreditation Information

The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) has accredited this program since 2021. The program status is “Active in good Standing” and in compliance with all Standards.

Licensure Information

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to disclose information for programs leading to professional certification or licensure about whether each program meets state educational requirements for initial licensure or certification.  

The requirements of this program meet licensure in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

Hallmarks
male student using Anatomage table
Big-Time Facilities, Small Class Sizes

Numerous clinical facilities and athletic teams at UWEC allow you to graduate as a well-rounded and informed athletic trainer. But class sizes throughout your program stay small, keeping your education personal and individualized. Here, our expert faculty will know your name and will work closely with you to reach your goals.

athletic training in clinical setting
Professional Experience

Our program's strong collaborations with organizations such as Mayo Clinic, Eau Claire Express, and area universities and high schools will give you the opportunity to work in a variety of settings and gain invaluable experience outside the classroom. Your clinical experience may even take you out of state as you see what a day in the life of an athletic trainer is like. 

KINS faculty in class
Endless Career Possibilities

As a licensed athletic trainer, you'll quickly find endless career paths are available to you. 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. 

dissection class on pig feet for athletic training
Interprofessional Curriculum

Curriculum within our athletic training master's degree program includes an interprofessional education component, meaning you'll learn with and from other healthcare providers in a variety of fields. You may work alongside social workers, paramedics, nurses, and communication sciences and disorders professionals, as you solve real-world problems. 

Facts List
Flex Content

More Information

For questions about the program, please contact atpmasters@uwec.edu.

Program Outcomes

The athletic training program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been highly successful since its inception in 1970. The program has shown a high success rate not only on the Board of Certification (BOC) examination (required exam for state licensure) and an overall pass rate of 98% (some alumni have chosen not to take the exam), but also in the 94% placement rate within six months of graduation. All program alumni who seek either employment or graduate school following their undergraduate education at UWEC find it. Our graduates are or have been employed in a variety of athletic training practice settings, including high schools, colleges and universities, professional athletic programs, hospitals, medical offices, performing arts settings and the military. You may review our program's BOC pass rates, along with all others (of varying institution types, number of students taking the BOC exam from each institution and by region) in the country by visiting our accrediting agency’s program outcomes page: https://caate.net/program-info/61/.

Program Retention Rate

This measures the percentage of students who have enrolled in our professional program and who have returned to continue their studies in the Athletic Training Program the following academic year.

 2021-20222022-20232023-2024
Enrolled Students91317
1st Year Students589
2nd Year Students458
Retention Rate (%)100100100

Program BOC Pass Rate

 2021-20222022-20232023-20243 Yr Aggregate
Number of students graduating from program35412
Number of students graduating from program who took examination35412
Number of students who passed the examination on the first attempt34310
Percentage of students who passed the examination on the first attempt100807583
Number of students who passed the examination regardless of the number of attempts34411
Percentage of students who passed the examination regardless of the number of attempts1008010092

Program Graduation Rate

 20201-20222022-20232023-20243 Yr Aggregate
Number of students graduating from program35412
Student completion rate (%)4310010075

Student Employment/Placement Rate

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

 20201-20222022-20232023-20243 Yr Aggregate
Number of students Employed as AT35412
Student Employment/Placement Rate as AT (%)100100100100
Number of students employed as otherN/AN/AN/AN/A
Student Employment/Placement Rate as other (%)N/AN/AN/AN/A
Number of students not employedN/AN/AN/AN/A
Student Not Employed Rate (%)N/AN/AN/AN/A
Outcomes Image
Blugold athletic training staff
What can I do

Where can the master of science in athletic training program lead me after graduation?

After completing your master's degree at UWEC, you will be eligible to sit for the national Board of Certification (BOC) exam and become a licensed healthcare provider in the state where you choose to practice. From there, your career path may take you in one of four directions: entering the field as an athletic trainer, attending physical therapy school, pursuing additional graduate degrees or entering a residency program.

If you choose to work as an athletic trainer, you have more options than ever when it comes to work settings. Athletic trainers can be found covering 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 a career in exercise physiology. Residency programs are also available to graduates and can enable you to work in exciting fields like pediatric orthopedics. 

All of these incredible paths begin right here at UW-Eau Claire with a master's degree in athletic training. 

Courses information
SampleCourses

In nearly every course you take in this program, you will find opportunities for firsthand, experiential learning that takes you out of your seat and into the field — literally. Courses are interactive and provide the chance to work in small groups and to practice tests and procedures similar to what will be used with future patients. Curriculum ensures you will learn what the industry needs, including appropriate treatment practices and the latest techniques used in the field.

Here are a few courses in Master of Science in Athletic Training at UW-Eau Claire.

KINS 700

Principles of Athletic Training

Introduction to the foundational knowledge of the athletic training profession, concepts in the prevention of athletic injuries, and exposure to fundamental skills, knowledge, and techniques in athletic training based upon evidence-based criteria.

KINS 714

Pathophysiology & Emergency Medicine

A theory and lab course focused on providing the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and best-practice management for acute and emergency injuries/illnesses in the physically active patient. Successful completion of the course will result in certification as a first responder.

KINS 723

General Medicine & Diagnostic Modalities

A theory course that examines various medical specialties, surgical techniques, and clinical evaluations and diagnostics modalities used in assessing and treating medical conditions, illnesses and injuries related to the physically active populations.

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