Curriculum

The curriculum allows for students to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to be prepared to practice as an athletic trainer following graduation, while providing a strong liberal arts core.

There is some flexibility for those students who wish to work towards other allied health care degrees, but in many cases additional course work and time at Hofstra University may be required to complete additional requirements for these degrees.  If you plan to pursue other allied health care degrees it is important to notify program faculty as early in your education as possible so that appropriate academic planning can occur.

For a summary of all courses, including course descriptions view the current undergraduate bulletin.

The program is accredited by CAATE and meets all necessary requirements to grant a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training.  To better understand the accreditation standards put forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and the educational requirements as developed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) click the appropriate document below.

Standards for the Accreditation of Entry-Level Athletic Training Education Programs [PDF]

Athletic Training Educational Competencies (5th edition)

Course Progression

PRE-ATHLETIC TRAINING PHASE (1st year) :
The Pre-Athletic Training Phase is designed to introduce students to the building blocks necessary to be a successful professional.  This includes key course work and observational hours in the Hofstra University athletic training facilities to give students an opportunity to see professionals in action.  Three key courses must be completed in order for students to be eligible to apply for admission the Professional Athletic Training Phase and they are BIO 103, PESP 161 and PESP 169.  While not required, it is strongly recommended that PESP 61, PESP 172, and BIO 105 also be completed.  A typical course progression is:

* Required for Pre-Athletic Training Majors for application to professional phase of AT program
** Strongly recommended for all Pre-Athletic Training Majors

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING PHASE (2nd – 4th year):

The Professional Athletic Training Phase begins following completion of the pre-athletic training phase requirements and successful application to the athletic training education program.  Once enrolled in this portion of the curriculum students will begin to take many major specific courses and begin hands-on clinical experiences under the supervision of Approved Clinical Instructors (ACI) who are employed here at Hofstra University as well as other locations in Long Island and metropolitan New York.  A typical progression is:

Download a printable version of this course progression.

Clinical Education

In addition to completing traditional classroom experiences students enrolled in Hofstra University’s Athletic Training Education Program will also completed a variety of “hands-on” experiences.  To be eligible for graduation, each student will complete 13 credits of clinical experience courses which require a minimum of 1000 hours (maximum of 1350 hours) of field experience dispersed over 3 years of clinical work.

Students engaging in clinical experiences will be directly supervised by a certified athletic trainer or other healthcare professional who serves as an Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI) for the academic program.  A majority of the student’s total hours are completed at Hofstra University working directly with Division I athletic programs.  Each student will have clinical education experiences  with both men’s and women’s team sports, upper and lower extremity injuries, general medical conditions and equipment intensive sports.  Students will also gain experience in practice, game and travel situations.  In addition, we use other affiliates’ such as high schools, other colleges and physicians’ offices.

See a list of current affiliated locations.