Manchester College offers a program of study leading to a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in athletic training. 

The educational program in athletic training has been nationally accredited since 2000, and graduates are eligible to take the Board of Certification (BOC) test. Successful completion of this test leads to the credential "ATC" (Certified Athletic Trainer).

The athletic training education program at Manchester College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education Programs (caate.net). The program is fully accredited through 2020-2021.

"The Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC ®) works with physicians and other medical personnel, employers, patients, parents, guardians, and athletic personnel in the development and coordination of efficient and responsive health care delivery systems. Athletic trainers are integral members of the health care team in secondary schools, colleges and universities,professional sports programs, sports medicine clinics, corporate/industrial, and other health care settings."¹

¹Standards and Guidelines, Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education Programs (CAATE)

Competitive Nature

Manchester College offers a competitive admission process for the athletic training major. A 5:1 student to approved clinical instructor ratio is observed, thus admittance into the major is necessarily limited by the number of ACI’s involved within the program, graduating seniors from the previous year, and student attrition. If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of clinical spaces an objective means of making admissions decisions will be employed. Please see the ATEP Program Director for further explanation if needed.

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) at Manchester College is to prepare qualified entry-level Athletic Trainers for the profession of Athletic Training. Through a nationally accredited professional curriculum which includes both classroom and clinical, "hands-on" education, and which is within the framework of the liberal arts emphasis of Manchester College, the Athletic Training Education Program endeavors to prepare individuals who are educationally well-rounded, critical thinkers, good citizens, and professionally active, as well as competent allied health professionals.

Goals and Objectives

1. To produce quality Athletic Training professionals for potential employment in a variety of health care settings.
2. To prepare students to pass the BOC certification examination through CAATE-accredited educational program
3. To promote professional and ethical conduct at all times in accordance with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Code of Ethics
4. To provide exemplary classroom and clinical learning environments in which students can develop the appropriate cognitive and psychomotor educational competencies and clinical proficiencies for an entry-level Athletic Training professional