General Information

The athletic training major is a part of the Department of Human Performance and Sport Business.

Mount Union College has developed the athletic training major to prepare qualified students for athletic training related careers. Since 1987, the major has met National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) standards as an Approved Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program. Effective November 1998, the program was accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). In July 2006, the accrediting agency changed to the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), in which MUC has earned full accreditation status.

Graduates of the program have used the major as preparation for post-graduate study in athletic training as well as other sports related allied-health fields such as physical therapy, physician's assistant, emergency medical technicians, nursing, podiatry, cardiac rehabilitation, exercise physiology, Kinesiology/biomechanics, sport psychology, nutrition, or other allied medical professions.

A graduate with an athletic training major may also pursue employment as Certified Athletic Trainers in professional sports, colleges and universities, high schools, sports medicine centers, private health/physical fitness clubs and/or the marketing and business aspects of the profession. Non-traditional area for employment include rodeo, NASCAR, military and industrial settings.

The Accredited Athletic Training Education Program qualifies students to challenge the Board of Certification (BOC-ATC) examination as well as the state examination for licensure as an Athletic Trainer in Ohio upon graduation. Students selected into the athletic training major (see Selective Admission) learn and serve under the direct supervision of the college/team physician, the college medical director and approved clinical instructors (ACIs) in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic related injures and illnesses. Students in the major are strongly urged to obtain a teaching certification in one or more secondary education areas.

Requirements for the Athletic Training Major:

I. Required courses for the athletic training major:
AT 115 Foundations of Athletic Training
AT 116 Orthopedic Applications in Athletic Training
AT 216 Injury Recognition I
AT 217 Injury Recognition II
AT 316 Medical Seminar for Athletic Trainers
AT 280 Therapeutic Modalities
AT 291 Therapeutic Rehabilitation I
AT 292 Therapeutic Rehabilitation II
AT 475W Senior Culminating Experience in AT
AT 197 Immediate Care of Athletic Injuries
AT 297 Tests & Measurements in Athletic Training
AT 397 Practicum: Therapeutic Applications
AT 497 Practicum: Assessment Applications
AT 350 Field Experience: Upper Extremity
AT 355 Field Experience: Lower Extremity
AT 450 Field Experience: Equipment Intensive
AT 455 Field Experience: General Medical

II. Department requirements
HE 400 Community Health Education
HE 317 Medical Aspects of Sport
HE 205 Personal Health
HE 250 Nutrition Science
PE 305 Kinesiology
ES 333 Physiology of Human Performance

III. Required courses that may also count toward general requirements:
BI 210 Anatomy and Physiology I
BI 211 Anatomy and Physiology II
PY 110 Introduction to Psychological Science
HE 152 Wellness

IV. Elective course
AT 499 Internship in Athletic Training

V. Exercise Science Minor (Required)
ES 310 Health Appraisal and Prescription
ES 334 Strength Training and Conditioning
ES 400 Environmental Physiology
ES 420 Wellness in Special Populations

Selective Admission

Entrance into the accredited athletic training major is by selective admission. A formal application process shall be initiated at the end of the pre-professional, or "rookie" year, the year in which the student is a candidate for the athletic training major (typically the freshman year) and after successful completion of the following prerequisites:

An average GPA of at least 2.5 must be achieved in these courses.

• AT 115
• AT 116
• PE 305
• BI 210
• BI 211
• One hundred hours of clinical directed observation in the athletic training room;
• Directed observation of all scheduled activities of five different sports for one full week each;
• Three supportive letters of recommendation;
• Written application and resume;
• Written examination (minimum score: 70 percent);
• Oral/practical examination (minimum score: 75 percent);
• Cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5 at the time of application;
• Average ACI evaluation score of at least 75%;
• Meet all technical standards established for the program and the profession of athletic training (see Student Athletic Trainer Handbook for a complete listing).

These are minimum requirements for admittance. Competitive selection criteria will be employed if/when there are more qualified candidates than available positions. A re-application process is available if a student is unsuccessful on the initial application to the program. It is the policy of the Mount Union College Athletic Training Education Program not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, marital or parental status, or handicap in the selection of students into the Athletic Training Education Program.

Additionally, as a part of the matriculation process, all students admitted to the program must complete formal OSHA training (which includes obtaining or declining the hepatitis B vaccination), purchase student liability insurance and successfully complete a medical examination.

Clinical Experience

One-thousand clock-hours of documented, directly supervised clinical field experience are required for graduation. These clinical field experiences must be completed under the direct supervision of qualified clinical instructors (ACIs and/or CIs), in an approved clinical setting; they are required and available only for students selected into the CAATE Accredited Athletic Training major. Four required field experience courses must be distributed over at least four full semesters, coinciding with AT 350, AT 355, AT 450 and AT 455. Additionally, at least one high school experience will be incorporated into the required field experience rotations as well as exposure to at least one opposite gender sport, varying levels of risk, protective equipment and general medical experiences that address the continuum of care that would prepare a student to function in a variety of settings and meet the domains of practice delineated for a certified athletic trainer in the profession. Athletic training majors may obtain field experiences in other allied medical settings, i.e., ambulance riding/observation or athletic/physical therapy settings and medical facilities as part of the field experience requirement.
Additionally, this curriculum is competency-based. Successful completion (documentation at the "master level") of ALL educational competencies and clinical proficiencies established by the CAATE, enumerated in the MUC Clinical Proficiency Verification Manual for Students, are required for BOC eligibility and for graduation. These educational competencies and clinical proficiencies are distributed appropriately throughout the required didactic course work and clinical field experiences.

Requirements for the Minor in Athletic Training

The purpose of this minor is to provide the student with basic knowledge of athletic training. It is designed primarily for those students pursuing other allied medical fields, graduate schools or those in teaching/coaching fields. It is an attractive and marketable combination with the following areas: Pre-medicine, pre-allied health, health/physical education/coaching, biology and all education majors.

The athletic training minor does not meet Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers (BOC, Inc.) or Ohio licensure eligibility requirements, and therefore, does not lead toward BOC certification or licensure as an athletic trainer in Ohio.

The following courses are required for the athletic training minor:

AT 115 Foundations of Athletic Training
AT 116 Orthopedic Applications in Athletic Training
AT 216 Injury Recognition I
HE 205 Personal Health
HE 140 Safety, First Aid and Emergency Care
HE 250 Nutrition Science

Requirements for Honors in Athletic Training

To receive departmental honors in athletic training, a student must meet all criteria for graduating with honors in a major, and complete AT 216 or AT 217, AT 280 plus AT 291 or AT 292 for honors.