About our Athletic Training Program
MSAT Program at a Glance
All students entering Rowan University as freshman are required to complete a 3 year Pre-Athletic Training Curriculum followed by the 2 calendar year Professional Athletic Training Program. Native Rowan University freshman and transfer students who have not earned a Bachelor's degree will apply to the pre-Athletic Training Program using the Rowan App.
Transfer (withour a bachelor's degree) students may apply to the pre-Athletic Training Program. The time to complete the pre-Athletic Training program is dependent on the number of credits transferred and prerequisite courses needed to apply to the Professional Athletic Training Program
Students who have obtained a Bachelor's degree and have met all program admission pre-requisites (See Admission Requirements) will be considered for acceptance. Prospective students who have earned a Bachelor's degree and have obtained all the program admission requirements should go to: Rowan Global Admissions to apply to the two-year program.
- Native undergraduate students accepted to the athletic training program will pay undergraduate tuition for a total of four years even though the fourth year is all graduate classes. The fifth-year tuition will be at the graduate rate, as the student will be classified as a graduate student because they will earn a Bachelor's in Athletic Training Studies after their fourth year. This is an advantage because many other athletic training programs require students to pay two calendar years of graduate tuition. This advantage does not apply to students that have obtained a bachelor’s degree prior to applying to the athletic training program.
- The MSAT has four total clinical experience classes, with two being completely immersive. This means students will spend the majority, or all, of a semester in the clinical setting without attending face-to-face classes.
- The Pre-Athletic Training curriculum is specifically designed to prepare the student for success within the Professional Athletic Training Program. These Pre-Athletic Training curriculum’s major courses will introduce foundational knowledge that will be pertinent for successful completion of the AT Program.
The athletic training program aspires to be a leader in student-centered athletic training higher education and recognized regionally and nationwide as one of the best among its peers. We aim to provide model preparation for continuing professional practice and scholarship in the athletic training profession. We are committed to creating experiences and opportunities to prepare our students to be successful in any athletic training setting for which they choose to pursue a career.
The Rowan University Athletic Training Program is committed to providing an innovative and dynamic learning environment dedicated to excellence in education, research and quality healthcare. We promote a student-centered approach that prepares them to succeed in a diverse and inter-professional healthcare environment. As a result, we are dedicated to educating students at a level of competency and professionalism that prepares them to provide quality health care within the profession of athletic training.
These are the values that the AT program has established over time and are believed to be the core characteristics of a highly competent athletic trainer:
- Excellence
Definition - Excellence is practicing athletic training consistently uses evidence-based practice, theory and clinical experience to enhance patient outcomes, while reflecting on limitations, challenging mediocrity, and continuing the pursuit of developing new knowledge and techniques to advance clinical practice and the athletic training profession. - Compassionate/Caring Healthcare
Definition - Compassionate is the ability to appreciate or recognize a patient’s distress; together with a desire to alleviate it. Caring is the ability to show concern, understanding, and respect for the individual needs and values of patients. - Integrity
Definition - Integrity is the firm adherence to incorruptible moral values that drive ethical practice and professional standards. - Collaborative Engagement
Definition - Collaborative Engagement is an efficient, effective, and cooperative process between interdependent professionals in making healthcare decisions that develops collective action plans to address patient care needs - Social Responsibility
Definition - Social Responsibility is the obligation to promote a mutual trust between the athletic training profession and the larger population to advocate for the health, wellness and access to athletic training healthcare for the common good of all society. - Altruism
Definition - Altruism is the unselfish regard or devotion to placing the patient’s needs above the athletic trainer’s self interest - Professional Responsibility
Definition - Professional Responsibility is the obligation to meeting one’s obligations to provide the most contemporary and effective healthcare to the individual patient, to serve and advance the athletic training profession, and to positively influence and be an advocate for the healthcare needs for individuals within the communities athletic trainers serve. - Accountability
Definition - Accountability is the athletic trainer’s obligation to accept responsibility for their actions as they relate to positively affecting patient outcomes, the athletic training profession and the healthcare needs within the communities the athletic trainer serves.
Program Goal 1: To challenge program administrators to think, plan and manage an athletic training program that ranks as one of the best among the region, state and national levels
- Program Objective 1:To prepare athletic training students to successfully pass the BOC, Inc Exam.
- Program Objective 2:To prepare athletic training students to demonstrate competency within the five BOC practice domains.
- Program Objective 3:To prepare athletic training students to be competent clinicians within the profession.
Program Goal 2: To adequately prepare students to successfully enter the athletic training profession.
- Program Objective 1: Students will favorably rate the ATP’s ability to prepare them to enter the athletic training profession.
- Program Objective 2: Alumni will favorably rate the ATP in preparing them in the BOC domains one year post graduation.
- Program Objective 3: Alumni will favorably rate the program in their preparation of the CAATE curricular content.
- Program Objective 4: Employers of Rowan University students will favorably rate athletic training students’ ability to enter the profession.
Program Goal 3: To provide high quality instruction both academically and clinically throughout the athletic training program.
- Program Objective 1: The Rowan University Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness will demonstrate that faculty are effectively teaching courses within the athletic training program.
- Program Objective 2: The Athletic Training Program Student Evaluation of Preceptors will demonstrate that preceptors are effectively teaching the clinical skills necessary to become athletic trainers.
Program Goals 4: The Athletic Training Program will prepare students to foster cultural competency, equality and respect for all individuals
- Program Objective 1: To challenge students to respect social responsibility, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness when practicing athletic training and throughout all facets of life.
- Program Objective 2: Alumni will demonstrate that they were prepared to practice cultural sensitivity within the profession.
The faculty and staff are devoted to maintaining the standard of academic and clinical excellence long associated with the ATP program. All educators, both academic and clinical, are dedicated to exceeding the standards established by CAATE so that students become a competent and well-rounded Athletic Trainer. Furthermore, the ATP program is committed to maintaining the objectives and philosophies in line with those established by the Department of Health and Exercise Science, the College of Education, and Rowan University. The faculty and staff are therefore fully dedicated:
- to strive to be fair and consistent in the administration of the policies, procedures, and regulations which govern the ATP.
- to establishing admissions criteria which are consistent with the program's mission and goals.
- to establishing retention criteria which are consistent with the program's mission and goals.
- to monitoring student progress in the program using retention criteria, academic evaluations, and clinical evaluations as a means to provide an opportunity for students to develop as professionals and individuals.
- to orienting students to the NATA Code of Ethics so they can develop the appropriate standards of practice expected of Athletic Trainers.
- to providing students with direct supervision and guidance in order to facilitate the application of theory into the clinical practice of Athletic Training.
- to fostering and encouraging the development of professional relationships and leadership skills necessary for the practice of Athletic Training.
- to providing an environment for the development of each student's potential both professionally and personally.
- to achieve student success on the Board of Certification examination and job placements that exceeds national normative data.
The Athletic Training Program will require some additional costs above the standard tuition, fees and books. These costs may include but are not limited to:
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- Professional Memberships: Students will be conditionally accepted into the Professional Phase at the conclusion of the application process. All students MUST become NATA student members by May 1 of their application year to be fully accepted into the Professional Phase of the Program. Students must also maintain this membership during their progress through the Athletic Training Program. Cost will depend on NATA membership fees. Please see NATA.org for membership applications.
- Travel: Students can expect to be given a clinical assignment that will require them to travel to an off campus affiliated clinical to obtain their clinical education under the direct supervision of an Athletic Trainer. All fees associated with this travel (ie, gas, food, etc) are the responsibility of the student. Students can expect to be given an off campus for a total of 1-2 semesters. All attempts will be made so that students are not given off-campus clinical assignments on consecutive semesters during Residency in Athletic Training I and II courses.
- Professional Polo Shirts: Students will be given one polo shirt when entering the professional athletic training program paid for by the athletic training club. All additional professional clothing purchases are the responsibility of the student.
- Professional Equipment (Optional): Students may choose to acquire a side kit for on-field needs. If the student chooses to purchase a side-kit, the student is responsible for the costs to supply equipment (ie, scissors, airways, resuscitation masks, etc). Supplies (ie, gauze pads, ace wraps, band aids, etc) will be provided by the assigned clinical site.
- Professional Conferences: Attending professional conferences is highly encouraged by the Athletic Training Program. A partial reimbursement program has been established through the Athletic Training Club. The student must be an active member of the club to receive any reimbursements for going to professional conferences. The left-over balance for the conference is the responsibility of the student.
- Background Checks and Fingerprinting
Several off-campus site (e.g., high schools) require criminal background and/or fingerprinting in order to complete the clinical experience at the affiliated site. Students are responsible for these costs. - Atrack Subscription: All students must maintain a subscription to Atrack, as this is how the ATP tracks clinical experiences. Please go to Atrack website for more information: https://www.atrackonline.com
- Clinical Sites: Some clinical sites for Fellowship in Athletic Training I and II may require the student travel a significant distance. All living expenses (ie, housing, food, transportation costs, etc.) will be the responsibility of the student. The program administrators will assist with administrative arrangements, but not financially.
- NATA Membership: Al students must maintain their NATA membership.
- Additional Requirements (ie, Mantoux test, etc) may be necessary in addition to Rowan University requirements to begin clinical education at some ATP affiliated clinical sites.
- Other Costs: There may be additional classroom supplies (e.g., tape) that may be needed that are not reflected on this list. Students will be made aware of these costs at the beginning of each semester for any class that may require additional costs.
CAATE Accreditation
The Rowan-Virtua MS in Athletic Training is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Program data aggregated by the CAATE as it applies to Rowan-Virtua graduation rates, retention rates, BOC first time pass rates, accreditation history, and student placement data is available on the CAATE site.
Board of Certification Exam Results
The Board of Certification, Inc. Exam is the gate keeper to being able to practice in the athletic training profession. A student must graduate from or be in the last semester of a CAATE accredited program before they are able to sit for this exam. The RUATP has had a high first time pass rate on the BOC, Inc exam. The Rowan-Virtua Athletic Training Program (ATP) is consistently above the national average for the first time pass rate. Those students who did not pass on their first attempt were successful on their second attempt. Since 2006, no student has had to take the BOC, Inc. Exam for a third time. Below is an illustration of BOC, Inc. Exam first time pass rates for students graduating between the years 2010-2022.
Download the First-time Pass Rate Chart