Athletic Training (3+2)
Bachelor's, Master's
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
Become a healthcare professional who serves active populations. Provide emergency care and diagnose conditions. Develop rehabilitation plans to treat your patients now and prevent further damage later.
Why Study Athletic Training at Winona State?
If you’re passionate about sports, health, and caring for others, athletic training could be the perfect career path for you.
The Athletic Training (3+2) program at Winona State offers an accelerated pathway for earning both a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science: Pre-Athletic Training and a Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) in as little as 5 years, helping you save both time and money.
From your first year on campus, you’ll benefit from a supportive learning environment, personalized faculty mentorship, and opportunities to build the knowledge and clinical skills needed to care for active individuals.
And with hands-on practice in the classroom and more than 1,000 hours of clinical experiences, you’ll be prepared for a rewarding career in a variety of healthcare settings.
This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and is available through Winona State’s Health, Exercise & Rehabilitative Sciences (HERS) Department.
What Will You Learn as an Athletic Training Student?
As an Athletic Training student, you’ll build the clinical expertise and professional confidence needed to succeed in this dynamic healthcare field.
You’ll also:
- learn casting, splinting, wound suturing, and other essential athletic training skills.
- use technology like diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate injuries and soft tissue conditions.
- earn valuable professional credentials, including the Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) certification and Graston Technique training.
- gain expertise in emergency care, mental health, injury evaluation, and rehabilitation.
Whether your goal is to work with athletes, performing artists, or patients in clinical settings, Winona State’s 3+2 program will give you extensive hands-on training and real-world experience to begin a successful athletic training career.
Aside from major- or minor-specific requirements, you’ll need to complete additional requirements through the General Education Program (GEP) to earn your degree from Winona State University.
Learn More about the GEP
Program Highlights
In the Classroom
As an Athletic Training student, you’ll gain hands-on experience with innovative technology used in today’s healthcare settings.
You’ll use simulation manikins to build confidence in emergency care and patient assessment skills.
You’ll also gain hands-on experience with diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate injuries and soft tissue conditions.
Gain a competitive edge through specialized certifications and training.
You can be trained in Basic Life Support through the American Red Cross, Corrective Exercise through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Mental Health First Aid through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and the Graston Technique.
These experiences enhance your resume, distinguish you from other graduates, and prepare you for success in a variety of athletic training settings.
This program gives you opportunities to build professional relationships with future healthcare providers across a variety of disciplines.
You’ll develop effective communication skills through patient education, motivational interviewing, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
You’ll also gain insight into rural health care and factors that shape patient access, outcomes, and overall wellbeing.
Engaged Learning Spaces
Winona State has state-of-the-art facilities that offer Athletic Training students the space to:
- practice their clinical skills.
- expand their classroom learning.
- mature into outstanding healthcare professionals.
This teaching laboratory hosts Athletic Training lab courses for both classroom instruction and supervised skills practice.
As a primary clinical site for Athletic Training students, this space is where students evaluate, diagnose, and treat Warrior athletes.
The IWC houses strength and conditioning, counseling services, intramurals, and other specialty areas for students to incorporate into patient care.
Beyond Campus
Once admitted to the MSAT program, students complete 1,000 hours of clinicals.
During the first year of the program, Athletic Training students complete their clinicals locally with Warrior Athletics, St. Mary’s University, and other local clinical sites.
Students who are farther along in the MSAT curriculum also complete 2 immersive experiences, which can be done anywhere in the nation.
These intensive experiences last 8-12 weeks and they are designed to help students develop into highly skilled and independent healthcare professionals.
You get to work with diverse patient populations through Bridges Health, a local clinic serving community members from a wide range of backgrounds.
This will allow you to apply your knowledge in a real-world healthcare setting while developing your clinical skills and professional confidence.
Plus, you’ll build a strong resume through hands-on experiences that will prepare you for success.
Apply what you learn in the classroom by traveling the world. At Winona State, you can earn credit that applies to your degree while exploring the globe.
Learn about health promotion in Peru; food systems in Hawaii; and health, exercise, and medicine in England and Ireland.
Or you can dive into the business of health care in Paris or child welfare and health systems in Jamaica.
Complement your studies and meet other students who are passionate about athletic training through campus clubs and organizations.
Like the Pre-Athletic Training Club and Movement Science Club.
You can also check out Climbing Club, Volleyball Club, and other year-round sports clubs and intramural sports teams.
You can even become a student health and wellness advocate.
Hear from Alumni
Program Admission
First-year students who are interested in the Athletic Training (3+2) program will follow this timeline:
Declare Exercise Science: Pre-Athletic Training as your major
During the Fall semester, apply for the Athletic Training master’s program (MSAT).
If admitted, you’ll begin graduate coursework over the summer.
Earn the bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science at the end of your fourth year.
Earn the master’s degree in Athletic Training at the end of your fifth year.
Careers & Outcomes
The median salary (2025) for athletic trainers in the U.S. is $62,000+.
Picture yourself in this field by learning more about possible job titles and career settings possible with these bachelor’s and master’s degrees:
Other Program Info
The Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
The CAATE reports student achievement and performance data for all accredited programs that is aggregated over the most recent three-year period. View the CAATE Accreditation Directory.
The following information complies with Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v) through the U.S. Department of Education:
WSU’s Athletic Training program curriculum meets state educational requirements in the states/jurisdictions of: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, 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 District of Columbia.
This information was last updated on July 1, 2021.
Bachelor's, Transfer Pathway
Bachelor's
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