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Athletic Training

Types of Degrees Athletic Training Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Athletic Training can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4
Associate’s Degree	115
Bachelor’s Degree	708
Master’s Degree	2,236
Doctor’s Degree	63

What Athletic Training Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Athletic Training develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Athletic Training graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Athletic Training emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Athletic Training program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Athletic Training careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Athletic Training graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Athletic Training professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Athletic Training graduates include:

• Pathology Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Health Diagnostics Teacher
• Mental Health Aides Teacher
• Virology Teacher
• Optometry Professor
• Dermatology Teacher
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Dental Hygiene Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Physical Therapy Teacher
• Chiropractic Teacher
• Instructor
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• Psychiatric Aides Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Athletic Training graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.8%
Doctoral degree	19.7%
Bachelor’s degree	17.7%
Post-doctoral training	15.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Athletic Training?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 64% of Athletic Training degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,005	64.0%
Men	1,127	36.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Athletic Training graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,902	60.7%
Asian	74	2.4%
Hispanic or Latino	565	18.0%
Black or African American	293	9.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	115	3.7%
Race Unknown	84	2.7%
International Students	81	2.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Athletic Training Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Athletic Training graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Athletic Training Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Athletic Training. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	3
Bachelor’s	2	4
Master’s	8	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Athletic Training Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Athletic Training graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	29,337
Physician Associate/Assistant	13,046
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	7,272
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	6,686
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology/Technician	1,055
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	677

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.