The Professional Master of Science in Athletic Training Program at Indiana State University prepares students to become evidence-based, patient-centered clinicians through a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and interprofessional collaboration. The program offers hands-on clinical experiences and simulated patient encounters to ensure graduates are well-equipped to practice in diverse healthcare settings.
- College of Health and Human Services
- Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Professional Master of Science in Athletic Training Program
Professional Master of Science in Athletic Training Program
Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program at Indiana State University is to effectively prepare evidence-based, patient-centered clinicians who are able to think critically in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.
Students of the program will be well prepared to practice at the top of their license through experiences in interprofessional collaboration, simulation, and application of disablement models in healthcare.
Our program challenges students to develop as advocates for patients and the profession of athletic training. Graduates will be prepared to be ethical, inclusive, and culturally competent clinicians, and to be productive citizens of the world.
Accreditation and Program Outcomes:
This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. More information about our program accreditation status and student outcomes can be found on our CAATE Program Information and Outcomes Page.
Academic Experience:
Our program
curriculum
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will provide an innovative education in the profession of athletic training. Students in the program will be well-prepared to practice at the top of their license through experiences with simulated patient encounters and clinical rotations under the supervision of forward-thinking athletic trainers in the high school, collegiate, and professional sports settings. The first year of the MAT program focuses on developing foundational knowledge and the development of clinical skills through simulated patient encounters. Students will begin their first clinical experience rotations during the fall and spring semesters of their first year. The second year of the MAT program focuses on gaining clinical experience and developing clinical judgment. The second year curriculum follows a hybrid model, with a mixture of online and in-person courses to allow students the flexibility to pursue a variety of clinical experiences.
The professional Master’s in Athletic Training program at Indiana State University has been designed around the following four areas of distinction:
- Our program emphasizes the importance of providing care that is patient-centered and culturally competent. The individual patient’s specific health needs and desired outcomes guide treatment decisions, and the care provided is respectful of patient background and preferences, social and cultural traditions, values, and socioeconomic conditions.
- Simulation in healthcare is utilized to provide students with realistic learning experiences that provide knowledge and skills in a controlled environment without the fear of harming an actual patient. Students take part in simulated patient encounters that are customized to emphasize the acquisition of specific skills and to help students improve on individualized goals.
- Students learn to utilize disablement models with the goal of improving patient care. Disablement models provide a framework for evaluating and treating the unique needs of each patient by assessing patient-centered outcomes and determining the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. In turn, students learn quality improvement strategies that can be used to provide high quality, patient-centered care.
- Evidence-based medicine is emphasized, in which students are taught to integrate patient values and their clinical experience with the best available research in order to provide the best possible patient-centered care. Students complete a culminating research project that emphasizes improving patient care through the use of quality improvement and practice-based research.
Clinical Experiences:
Over the course of the program, students gain five semesters of clinical experience under the supervision of highly skilled athletic trainers in a variety of settings. Students complete 24 weeks of immersive clinical experience, where they learn full time under the supervision of a certified athletic trainer.
Programs are only required to provide 4 weeks of immersive clinical experience, so the additional 20 weeks of immersive clinical experiences offered at Indiana State University will prepare graduates to have the confidence and skills necessary to be highly successful following graduation.
Current clinical experience sites include:
- Indiana State University Athletics
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Athletics
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Athletics
- Eastern Illinois University
- Hinsdale Orthopedics – Illinois Bone & Joint Institute
- University of Colorado Hospital
- Indianapolis Colts
Please continue to check back as we add additional sites!
ISU MAT Admission requirements:
- Completed bachelor’s degree
- “C“ or better in all required prerequisite coursework
- Minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA, as reflected on your transcript
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Formal letter of application, addressing why you are applying to the ISU MAT program and why you want to become an athletic trainer (one-page)
- Contact information for three references who can speak to your potential success as a healthcare professional; no letters needed
- One of these references must be a faculty member who taught one of your prerequisite courses
- Interview with MAT faculty by invitation
- There are additional admissions requirements for international applicants (international applicants must apply by April 1).
Materials for Application:
- Transcripts for all undergraduate coursework at the time of your application (unofficial or official)
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Formal letter of application
- Contact information (name, phone number, and email address) for 3 references
Program Prerequisites
Required Prerequisites | # Semesters | ISU Equivalent |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| 2 semester sequence with labs OR separate anatomy and physiology courses each with lab | ||
| Bio 231 & L & Bio 241 & L | ||
| ATTR 210 & L and PE 220 & L | ||
| General Chemistry | 1 semester with lab | Chem 105 & 105L |
| General Biology | 1 semester with lab | Bio 101 & 101L or Bio 112 & 112L |
| General Physics | 1 semester with lab | Phys 105 & 105L |
| Medical Terminology | 1 semester | ATTR 225 |
| Clinical Kinesiology | 1 semester | ATTR 280 or PE 380 |
| Physiology of Exercise | 1 semester with lab | PE 381 & PE 381L |
| Fundamentals of Nutrition | 1 semester | AHS 221 or AHS 201 |
| General Psychology | 1 semester | PSY 101 |
| Statistics | 1 semester | Math 241 or AHS 240 |
Preferred Electives | ||
| Introduction to Abnormal Psychology | PSY 368 | |
| Psychology of Health Behavior | PSY 240 | |
| Developmental Psychology | PSY 266 or EPSY 221 | |
| Public Health Concepts | AHS 220 |
Want More Information?
Interested in learning more about the Professional Master’s in Athletic Training program at ISU or have any questions?
Please complete the ISU Master’s in Athletic Training Inquiry Form