Admission Requirements

Traditional First Year Students

Students are generally admitted to the Montclair State University’s Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training (ATTR) program as first year students. All prospective candidates for the major must meet the requirements for regular acceptance to the University and indicate athletic training as their choice of major. When a student is accepted as an Athletic Training major, he/she will be assigned to a learning community and scheduled for the first semester courses for the major.

After successful completion of the first year classes and completing the application process for the clinical portion of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP), qualified students may be admitted to the clinical portion of the Athletic Training Education program following admission review.

The first year courses required for the ATEP are as follows:

• BIOL 244 and 245 Anatomy and Physiology I and II
• ATTR 199 Orientation to Athletic Training
• ATTR 101 Principles of Athletic Training
• ATTR 240 Clinical Anatomy
• Letter of reference from BOC certified athletic trainer
• ATTR 150 Emergency Care in Athletic Training

During the spring semester of the first year, qualified students wishing to continue in the ATEP will apply for the clinical program. The application process only takes place during the spring semester. Applications are completed while the students are completing the first year coursework for the major.

The Application Process

Students applying to the clinical portion of the Athletic Training Education Program complete the following:

1. Application for the clinical portion of the program.
2. Technical Standards form.
3. One reference from a BOC certified Athletic Trainer.
4. One reference from a teacher, supervisor, etc.
5. Mid-term course progress report for all courses being taken during the semester of application.
6. Completion of the writing prompt.

The completed Clinical Program Application (including Technical Standards) must be submitted to the ATEP Program Director by April 1. In the event April 1 falls on a weekend the application materials will be due on the Monday immediately following April 1.

Students will also provide a Writing Sample. The student will be asked to provide an impromptu written response to a question or situation. Completion of the writing sample will take place during April of the spring semester at a date and location on campus.

At the end of the Spring semester (after posting of grades) an Athletic Training Application Score will be calculated. The components of the score are:

The Athletic Training Application Score will be generated by summation of cumulative scores on the objective portion of the recommendations, the Athletic Training faculty ranking of the recommendation narratives and the student Writing Sample. All students achieving a cumulative score of 70 or better will be eligible for admission to the major. Please note that this eligibility does not guarantee admission to the clinical program, as admission slots are limited in accordance with accreditation requirements and standards.

Admission to the clinical program is COMPETITIVE. In the event there are more applicants than available slots in the program, admission will be granted in descending order of Athletic Training Application Scores. In the event there is more than one student with the same Athletic Training Application Score for the final available position(s), admission will be granted to the student(s) with the higher overall GPA.

Admission decisions are made after the posting of grades for the Spring semester. Students will be notified of admission decisions in writing by May 30, so there is no need to call the department. Decisions will be made one time and there will be no waiting list. A student not admitted in a given year may apply in a subsequent year.

Students admitted to the clinical portion of the ATEP continue with ATEP coursework and are assigned to the first of five clinical rotations.

Transfer Students from other CAATE accredited programs

Transfer students from Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) accredited Athletic Training programs at other universities are handled on a case by case basis. Application to admission to the clinical program requires the student to verify successful completion of competencies and proficiencies taught in courses for which the student wants credit.

TRANSFER STUDENTS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FOR THE FALL SEMESTER.

Transfer applicants from CAATE accredited programs wishing to apply to Athletic Training need to be aware of the following:

1. Admission to the major and clinical program is COMPETITIVE and granted on a space available basis
2. Students must apply and be accepted to MSU and simultaneously submit materials for transfer to the Program Director by July 1 for fall admission.
3. To be eligible for admission to the clinical portion of the ATEP students must apply for and be accepted to the clinical program.
4. Transfer students applying for admission to the clinical portion of the program must present evidence of a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 in the accredited program from which he/she wishes to transfer.
5. Students applying for entry to the ATEP clinical program must demonstrate completion of the following OR THEIR EQUIVALENTin a CAATE accredited program:
   1. BIOL 244 and 245 Anatomy and Physiology I and II
   2. ATTR 199 Orientation to Athletic Training
   3. ATTR 101 Principles of Athletic Training
   4. ATTR 150 Emergency Care in Athletic Training
   5. Documentation of successful completion of Clinical Competencies related to these courses

Students applying for transfer to the ATEP from another CAATE accredited program must complete the following to be considered for placement:

1. Applicants must meet regular admission standards for transfer admission to MSU.
2. Students must complete the Clinical Program Application Materials found on the ATEP website.
3. Completion of the Technical Standards form.
4. You must also attach a copy of your transcript from the institution with the CAATE accredited program.
5. Students MUST have a minimum GPA of 3.00 overall.
6. Copies of evaluation instruments for clinical competencies completed at the program from which the student is transferring.
7. Grades of C or better are required in all courses to be evaluated for transfer to the Athletic Training major.
8. Students applying for admission to the clinical program must also complete the Accepted Student Materialsin anticipation of possible acceptance. These include:
   1. ATEP Student Agreement
   2. ATEP Confidentiality
   3. ATEP Bloodborne Pathogen Form
   4. ATEP Confidentiality Agreement
   5. ATEP Disciplinary Policy
   6. ATEP History and Physical
   7. Mid-term course progress report for all courses being taken during the semester of application.
9. Decisions will be made following the deadline, and there will be no waiting list. Students will be notified by June 30 of the decision. A student not admitted in a given year may apply in a subsequent year. Students will be notified via email, so there is no need to call the department.

Please be advised that completion of the ATEP major requirements takes at least 6 consecutive semesters for transfer students to complete. The exact number of semesters required for a particular transfer student from a CAATE accredited program must be determined by reviewing academic and clinical documentation. Please contact the ATEP Program Director to ascertain the possibility of coordinating coursework prior to your admission.

Transfer students from other institutions that do not have CAATE accredited programs

Because the Athletic Training Education Program at Montclair State University is accredited by CAATE, all major coursework and clinical education experiences applied to the major must have passed CAATE accreditation standards. Courses taken at an institution which DOES NOT have a CAATE accredited Athletic Training Education Program will not be able to be substituted for major courses in the Athletic Training major.

Credits may be accepted by the university as free electives, but that does not guarantee that they will apply to the major.

TRANSFER STUDENTS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FOR THE FALL SEMESTER.

Students applying for transfer from Community Colleges in New Jersey

It is important that students applying to MSU to study Athletic Training understand the previous paragraph. If you are accepted to MSU after receiving your Associate degree you will be allowed to transfer up to 60 credits and may have your general education requirements waived or reduced. This is determined by Admissions and Academic Advising upon your acceptance to the university.

YOU MUST STILL COMPLETE ALL MAJOR REQUIREMENTS FOR THE B.S. IN ATHLETIC TRAINING.

Students who wish to transfer to MSU to study Athletic Training are strongly encouraged to take the following courses at your current college or university:

Anatomy and Physiology 1 and II; 4 credits with a lab
Introduction to Psychology or its equivalent
Math- We suggest Statistics
Nutrition-3 credit course

Transfer applicants from institutions that do not have CAATE accredited programs need to be aware of the following:

1. Admission to the major and clinical program is COMPETITIVE and granted on a space available basis.
2. Students must apply and be accepted to MSU and simultaneously submit materials for transfer to the Program Director by July 1.
3. Transfer students applying to the major must present evidence of a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 at the institution from which he/she wishes to transfer
4. Grades of C or better are required in all courses to be evaluated for transfer to the Athletic Training major.
5. Applicants must meet regular admission standards for transfer admission to MSU.
6. You must also attach a copy of your transcript from your previous institution(s).
7. Mid-term course progress report for all courses being taken during the semester of application.
8. Decisions will be made once each semester following the deadline, and there will be no waiting list. A student not admitted in a given semester may apply in a subsequent semester. Students will be notified via email, so there is no need to call the department.

Please be advised that the ATEP course sequence takes at least 7 consecutive semesters to complete for students with no previous Athletic Training coursework. Please contact the ATEP Educational Director to ascertain the possibility of coordinating coursework prior to your admission

In house transfer (requests for change of major)

Students at Montclair State University wishing to change their major to Athletic Training need to be aware of the following:

1. The department can accept a maximum of 6 internal transfer students per academic year.
2. Admission to the major will be granted on a space available basis.
3. Application Deadline for Fall semester: March 15th
4. To be eligible for admission to the clinical portion of the ATEP students must apply for and be accepted to the clinical program.

TRANSFER (CHANGE OF MAJOR) STUDENTS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FOR THE FALL SEMESTER.

The following must be completed to apply for a change of major to Athletic Training:

1. Students MUST have a minimum GPA of 3.00 overall at the end of the semester in which application is made.
2. Students MUST have grades of C or better in BIOL 244 and BIOL 245 and any ATTR courses taken prior to admission to the major.
3. Mid-term course progress report for all courses being taken during the semester of application.
4. Students must include a “Change of Major Form.”
5. Students must attach a copy of their Analysis of Academic Progress from WESS.

Please note that THIS IS A COMPETITIVE PROCESS—completion of a change of major form and meeting the minimum criteria listed above is not a guarantee that a student applying for internal transfer will be accepted into the major. Decisions will be made once following the deadline, and there will be no waiting list. A student not admitted in a given year may apply in a subsequent year. Students will be notified via email, so there is no need to call the department.

ATEP Technical Standards

The ATEP Technical Standards establish the essential qualities considered necessary for all MSU students admitted to the program to achieve the knowledge, skills, and competencies of an entry-level athletic trainers and the expectations of the accrediting agency (CAATE). Selected students will be required to verify that they can meet and understand the standards or that they can meet the standard with certain accommodations. The University will determine that it concurs. The technical standards will be included in the ATEP application packet.

Students who complete the BS in Athletic Training degree program and all program requirements are eligible to sit for the NATABOC certification examination, which serves as the licensure examination for most states in the US. Successful examination candidates are then eligible to apply for licensure in the states where they seek employment.