Athletic Training

Athletic training student Lindsay Chiavaro from Morganville, NJ applies a preventative ankle taping to an athleteYou probably are aware of WVU’s sports tradition, but did you know WVU also is home to an outstanding athletic training program?

Our athletic training students gain hours of hands-on clinical experience in the community and in the WVU athletic training rooms with the University’s Division I intercollegiate athletic teams.

Combined with classroom instruction from expert faculty members, this rigorous program provides a firm foundation for successful careers. WVU athletic training alumni work with professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes in a variety of settings—from private clinics and corporations to major universities and Olympic training facilities.

Facts

  • WVU offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in athletic training.
  • The undergraduate athletic training major is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). It’s one of approximately 300 accredited programs in the nation.
  • Undergraduates typically apply for admission into the athletic training program during the spring of their freshman year at WVU. The program is very competitive; up to 15 students are selected annually.

Average Starting Salary


Starting salaries range from $25,000 to $32,000 annually for those with bachelor’s degrees

What can I do with this major?


Graduates of WVU’s undergraduate athletic training program are eligible to sit for the Board of Certification examination. Certification leads to job opportunities at the high school, college, professional, clinical, or corporate levels. Many students choose to continue their education by obtaining a master’s degree in athletic training.

What classes will I take?


The Athletic Training curriculum includes courses such as Taping, Bracing, and Padding, Orthopedic Assessment, Cadaver Anatomy Lab, and Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries. In addition, other science courses such as biology, chemistry, physics, human physiology, exercise physiology, psychology, and pathology are required.

Incoming freshmen interested in athletic training should sign up for the Prospective Athletic Training Student (PATS) Program as soon as they get to campus. PATS participants familiarize themselves with the major by observing a minimum of 75 hours in the WVU athletic training rooms and by attending weekly in-service during the fall semester. Freshmen are then eligible to apply to the Athletic Training curriculum during the spring semester.

What departmental organizations can I join?


The WVU Athletic Trainers’ Association sponsors social activities, raises money for charitable organizations, and invites guest speakers to discuss careers or other topics of interest to athletic training majors.

How can I find out more?

Check out the Athletic Training Web site. You may also want to read profiles of some athletic training faculty and alumni:

Photo Gallery

Nikki Sabatina performs an orthopedic test on the knee of a WVU women's basketball player Athletic training student Will Lynch talks with Dr. Matt Lively, WVU team physician

Top Left:  Nikki Sabatina, an athletic training student from Wheeling, WV, performs an orthopedic special test on the knee of a WVU women's basketball player.

Top Right:  Athletic training student Will Lynch from Langhorne, PA, discusses the medical status of a WVU athlete with team physician, Dr. Matt Lively.

Right:  Meredith Dotson, WVU alumna and athletic trainer for the WVU women's basketball team, administers an ultrasound treatment in the Coliseum training room.

 Meredith Dotson does an ultrasound treatment

Photos courtesy of Dr. Vincent Stilger and WVU Photographic Services