The ESU Professional Practice Master of Science degree in Athletic Training prepares
students for an exciting health field that places the athletic trainer in a position
of substantial challenge and responsibility.
The athletic trainer coordinates the athletic health care delivery system and makes
it function smoothly. The athletic trainer directly provides athletic training services
including injury prevention, injury evaluation, medical referral, emergency and follow-up
care, and injury rehabilitation.
A primary outcome of the Professional Practice Program is to prepare the student to
challenge credentialing as an athletic trainer through Board of Certification (BOC®)
and appropriate state regulatory bodies.
All About Professional Practice Athletic Training at ESU
The Professional Practice Master of Science degree in Athletic Training is to enable
the student the opportunity to demonstrate entry-level competency as an athletic trainer
while exhibiting scholarship and advanced competency in specific areas of the sports
medicine community.
Career Opportunities
Athletic trainers treat a range of patients and can work in a variety of settings.
Regardless of their practice setting, athletic trainers practice according to their
education, scope of practice and state practice act.
Athletic trainers work in:
Public and private secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional and
Olympic sports
Youth leagues, municipal and independently owned youth sports facilities
Physician practices, similar to nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists
and other professional clinical personnel
Rural and urban hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, urgent and ambulatory care centers
Clinics with specialties in sports medicine, cardiac rehab, medical fitness, wellness
and physical therapy
Occupational health departments in commercial settings, which include manufacturing,
distribution and offices to assist with ergonomics
Police and fire departments and academies, municipal departments, branches of the
military
Performing arts including professional and collegiate level dance and music
Internships and Research Opportunities
The internship/clinical experience allow students to obtain hands on experience with
Athletic Training Clinical Preceptors with years of experience to apply the skills
and knowledge gained during their formal Athletic Training education in an actual
Athletic Training setting. The internships also provide an opportunity for Athletic
Training Students to experience the careers that are available to them when they graduate.
We offer a wide variety of internship/clinical experience opportunities in settings
such as our local school districts like East Stroudsburg Area School District, Pocono
Mountain School District, and Warren Hills School District, college/universities like
Lafayette College, Lehigh University, and Muhlenberg College.
Additionally, student-led research is very important and a great way to add to your
experience at ESU. Both graduate and undergraduate students are supported by the faculty
in their research ideas that may lead to independent research or theses. Many of these
research projects are presented at regional and national meetings as well as being
published in peer-reviewed journals.
Special Offerings for the Non-traditional Student
The didactic aspects of this program (i.e. course sequencing and scheduling) have
been designed with sensitivity for the post-professional learner. Courses may be delivered
on ESU campus or at ESU’s Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem, PA.
The program’s coursework will be delivered through the traditional academic semester.
The Professional Practice Program contributes to an innovative, convenient and flexible
pedagogical format aimed towards degree completion and certification eligibility as
a certified athletic trainer.
Special Offerings for the Non-traditional Student
The didactic aspects of this program (i.e. course sequencing and scheduling) have
been designed with sensitivity for the post-professional learner. Courses may be delivered
on ESU campus or at ESU’s Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem, PA.
The program’s coursework will be delivered through the traditional academic semester.
The Professional Practice Program contributes to an innovative, convenient and flexible
pedagogical format aimed towards degree completion and certification eligibility as
a certified athletic trainer.
Professional Licensure Disclosures and Distance Learning State Authorization: Applicants
who are applying to programs that may lead to licensure in states other than Pennsylvania
must be aware of the various state professional licensure requirements. Please see
ESU's professional licensure disclosures, Evaluation of Conduct Record, and check licensure requirements by occupation and state at CareerOneStop.
Contact Us
For more information about our programs, please contact our office at (570) 422-3231
or email department secretary at jevangeli4@esu.edu
The didactic aspects of this program (i.e. course sequencing and scheduling) have
been designed with sensitivity for the post-professional learner. Courses may be delivered
on ESU campus or at ESU’s Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem, PA.