The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and its purpose is to represent, engage and foster the continued growth and development of the athletic training profession and athletic trainers as unique health care providers.

Marist's ATP is accredited by and fully meets all of the accreditation standards set forth by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education  (CAATE) and is registered with the New York State Education Department as a licensure-qualifying degree program.

Upon completion of the B.S. degree in Athletic Training at Marist, graduates will be eligible to sit for the certification examination administered by the Board of Certification, Inc. (BOC). Those passing this exam will be certified as athletic trainers.

The baccalaureate program qualifies students for entry-level positions in high schools, colleges, and universities; professional sports organizations; hospitals and sports medicine clinics; performing arts, law enforcement and the military; and corporate and industrial settings. Athletic trainers held 27,800 jobs in 2016, and by 2026 that number is expected to climb to 34,100, a 23 percent increase, much faster than the average increase for all professions according to the U.S. Labor Department. Students also may go on for further study in graduate and professional schools. The ATP also prepares students for graduate or professional education in areas such as advanced athletic training, physician assistant, physical therapy, exercise physiology, sports science, nursing, and medicine.

Transition to the Master’s Degree

In the spring of 2015, the CAATE announced that all professional education programs in athletic training need to transition to the master's degree by the year 2023 (2022 is the last undergraduate cohort that can be admitted). Marist College is currently studying whether or not it will be transitioning to the master's level in order to comply with this accreditation mandate. At this point in time, we will continue to operate as an accredited undergraduate professional program. As of fall, 2018 ALL students entering our program will earn a B.S. degree in Athletic Training and will be allowed to sit for the BOC examination.

Mission

The mission of the Athletic Training Program is to provide students, within a liberal-arts framework, with the strong scientific foundation and extensive practical experience they need to become certified Athletic Trainers (ATC).