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Athletic Training

Types of Degrees Athletic Training Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Athletic Training have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4
Associate’s Degree	115
Bachelor’s Degree	708
Master’s Degree	2,236
Doctor’s Degree	63

What Athletic Training Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Athletic Training develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Athletic Training graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Athletic Training emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Athletic Training program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Athletic Training careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Athletic Training graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Athletic Training professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Athletic Training graduates include:

• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Health Assessment and Treatment Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Otolaryngology Teacher
• Radiologic Technology Teacher
• Gastroenterology Teacher
• Anesthesiology Teacher
• Pathology Teacher
• Instructor
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Dentistry Teacher
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Neurology Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Athletic Training graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.8%
Doctoral degree	19.7%
Bachelor’s degree	17.7%
Post-doctoral training	15.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Athletic Training?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 64% of Athletic Training degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,005	64.0%
Men	1,127	36.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Athletic Training graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,902	60.7%
Asian	74	2.4%
Hispanic or Latino	565	18.0%
Black or African American	293	9.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	115	3.7%
Race Unknown	84	2.7%
International Students	81	2.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Athletic Training Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Athletic Training graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Athletic Training Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Athletic Training. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	3
Bachelor’s	2	4
Master’s	8	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Athletic Training Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Athletic Training graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist	51.0915
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	51.0901
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	51.0910
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	51.0902
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	51.0903
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	51.0904
Gene/Genetic Therapy	51.0914
Hearing Instrument Specialist	51.0918
Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician	51.0921
Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Technology/Technician	51.0922

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.