Admission Requirements

Freshman students are admitted directly to the MSU Athletic Training major when accepted and declared at the time of the MSU acceptance decision by the Office of Admissions.  Only freshmen students who have declared ATTR as their major will be registered in the fall courses specified on the Program of Study page. Qualified students make application to the clinical portion of the program by 1 December of the freshman year. The admission criteria to the clinical portion of the ATEP are:

Cumulative grade point average of 2.75 at the conclusion of the first semester
No more than 2 grades of "C" or lower in major coursework
Demonstrated interest in athletic training as a profession
Athletic Training written application & statement
Letter of reference from BOC certified athletic trainer
2 Letters of reference from teacher or other allied health professional
Interview with ATEP Admissions Committee
Compliance with ATEP technical standards*

THE PROCESS

       Students are primarily admitted to the MSU ATEP as freshmen. All prospective candidates to the MSU ATEP must be admitted to the University and list athletic training as their choice of major. After successful completion of the freshman cohort of classes and completion of the ATEP application, qualified students are admitted on a space available basis. A completed Athletic Training Education Program application (including Technical Standards) must be on file on the office of the Educational Program Director by 1 April. Prospective students must participate in a formal interview with the Educational Program Director and/or Clinical Education Coordinator (AT faculty).  Following an interview with the AT faculty and posting of grades for the fall semester, an Athletic Training Index (ATI) 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 essay. All students achieving a cumulative ATI score of  70% or better will be granted admission to the major. In the event of  space limitations, an Athletic Training Admissions Committee comprised of  the AT faculty, MSU Head Athletic Trainer, MSU Assistant Athletic Trainer, and a faculty member from the ESPE Department will generate the ATI. Available spaces in the class will be filled according to the ATI in descending order. Admission takes place over the winter break. Students admitted to the clinical portion of the ATEP continue with ATEP coursework and are assigned the first of five clinical rotations. During the fall semester, students are held to the  academic dishonesty, ethical, and retention standards as stipulated in the ATEP Handbook.

Current MSU students (internal transfers) desiring a change of major, seeking admission into the MSU ATEP for the upcoming fall semester are encouraged to meet with the ATEP Program Director, Dr. Middlemas, as soon as their intention to change majors is solidified. Internal transfer students must meet the selection criteria listed above and as a rule, will follow the application procedures for freshmen as listed above. Admission to all ATEP courses is 'by permission of the Department', therefore the meeting with Dr. Middlemas is crucial to obtain permission to register. A completed Athletic Training Education Program application (including Technical Standards) must be on file on the office of the Educational Program Director and a GPA of 2.75 to be eligible for admission to the major  for the next semester. ATEP students are held to the academic dishonesty, ethical, and retention standards as stipulated in the ATEP Handbook.

Transfer students from other universities seeking admission into the MSU ATEP for the upcoming fall semester are handled on a case by case basis. Transfer students must be accepted by the University and have a completed Athletic Training Education Program application (including Technical Standards) on file on the office of the Educational Program Director prior to the interview. The number of students who meet the selection criteria that are accepted in this manner depends upon the space availability in the freshman class. 

Please be advised that the ATEP course sequence takes at least 6 consecutive semesters to complete. Careful, prior planning may decrease the number of consecutive semesters slightly. Please contact the ATEP Educational Director to ascertain the possibility of coordinating coursework prior to your admission. Admission to all ATEP courses is 'by permission of Department', therefore the meeting with Dr. Middlemas is crucial to obtain permission to register. Otherwise, the admission process is identical to that for prospective freshmen.

Notification of acceptance to the ATEP will be by letter. ATEP students are held to the academic dishonesty, ethical, and retention standards as stipulated in the ATEP Handbook. 

ATEP application materials will be available from the ATEP program director or click here. Please note that complete applications should not be sent to the MSU campus via any overnight or next day air service. Allow sufficient time for regular mail delivery.

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. To view the most recent version of the Technical Standards click here.