King’s College Athletic Training Program Moves From A Bachelor Of Science In Athletic Training To A Master

Press release from Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce:

November 10, 2020

Wilkes-Barre, PA, November 9, 2020 – King’s College is proud to announce that the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) has voted to approve a request for a degree change for its Athletic Training Program from a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training to a Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT), effective immediately. The accrediting body’s review concluded that the King’s College Athletic Training Program has no citations and is compliant with all reviewed standards. CAATE’s next comprehensive review of the program will be performed during the 2024- 2025 academic year.

This change is a significant one for the Athletic Training program, which has been accredited since 2001. Beginning in 2022, the athletic training profession will require students to enter a master’s degree accredited program before a candidate is eligible to sit for the Board of Certification Examination and practice. This change prompted the College to enhance its Athletic Training program to offer master’s level courses.

There are two paths to earning the MSAT degree at King’s. First, students can enter the MSAT Program if they have a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science, kinesiology or a health sciences field from King’s or another accredited institution, provided that they meet entry requirements. The second path is referred to as the “3+2 MSAT Program”. First-year students enroll in the Exercise Science-Pre-Athletic Training Track, taking Exercise Science courses and two courses specifically designed for the 3+2 students and can be accepted into the MSAT Program at the end of their third year. Their fourth year at King’s also serves as Year 1 in the MSAT Program. Students can then graduate with their Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and progress to their fifth year, which is Year 2 of the MSAT Program. At the end of that year they earn their MS in Athletic Training. This accelerated program allows King’s students to earn their bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years instead of six, giving graduates in this field a competitive advantage.

Jeremy Simington, MS, LAT, ATC, Director of the Athletic Training Program noted, “The program has been very successful and popular with students. Many of our graduates work in northeast PA and so we help meet local healthcare needs.”

There is an added benefit to current King’s students who are pursuing their degrees in Athletic Training. Simington continued, saying, “The MSAT Program allows us flexibility to do things we couldn’t do in the undergraduate program. We have coursework that goes beyond entry level, which was very hard to do with the undergraduate program because students needed room to complete their nonmajor requirements. The clinical experiences are also more advanced in the MSAT Program and give students the option to have ‘immersive experiences’, which are longer and more in-depth than the kind of experiences we could do in the undergraduate program. Also, students don’t have classes during immersive experiences, so they could have those experiences anywhere in the U.S. or even abroad in some circumstances.”

For more information on King’s Athletic Training program, please visit kings.edu/MSAT or contact Christine Stevens, director of Graduate Admission at christinestevens@kings.edu or (570)208- 5991.

About King’s College - King's College is a Catholic institution of higher education animated and guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross. King's pursues excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship through a rigorous core curriculum, major programs across the liberal arts and sciences, nationally accredited professional programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and personal attention to student formation in a nurturing community.

This press release was produced by Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.