Dr.Gary Liguori, Head, (423) 425-4323 or email at Gary-Liguori@utc.edu
Dr. Marisa Colston, Director, (423) 425-4743 or email at Marisa-Colston@utc.edu
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) offers a CAATE accredited, Graduate Athletic Training Education Program (GATEP) in the Department of Health and Human Performance. The Athletic Training, Master of Science is a 60-hour, non-thesis program that provides students with an effective blend of classroom information, clinical experiences, and research aimed at preparing students for the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses incurred by the physically active. The program is designed to meet the criteria for the BOC certification examination. Additionally, the program emphasizes advanced theoretical, clinical, and research skills essential for working with the physiological and biomechanical aspects of sports injury, illness, and performance.
Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution, and who have completed the six pre-requisite courses, are eligible for consideration for admission to the UTC GATEP. Currently, we do not require a specific undergraduate degree for program admission, but a strong background in basic sciences is desirable.
All students interested in this degree program must make a formal application to the Graduate School and to the GATEP and follow the prescribed course of study.
* For the most up-to-date and comprehensive information about the GATEP, admissions, faculty and facilities, please refer to the Athletic Training Education Program website: www.utc.edu/gatp.
Admission to The Graduate School
Submit all of the required materials directly to The Graduate School. An applicant for admission to The Graduate School for consideration for the Athletic Training degree program must meet the following requirements:
• Completed and signed application form provided by UTC.
• Payment of $30 domestic; $35 international nonrefundable application fee.
• Graduation from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• A minimum grade point average of 2.75 on all undergraduate work taken toward the baccalaureate degree or a 3.0 in the last 60 hours.
• Transcripts. Students must request that one official copy of each transcript be sent directly to The Graduate School office from all colleges and universities attended.
• An official report of the applicant’s score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), taken within the last five (5) years, must be sent directly to The Graduate School.
Program Admission Requirements
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all of the application materials as soon as possible. The following items are required (Please send all items directly to the Graduate School):
• Three completed reference forms using the form located on the GATEP website http://www.utc.edu/Academic/GraduateAthleticTraining/docs/ref.pdf (with at least one from an academic instructor or advisor).
• A résumé and letter of interest (cover letter).
• A copy of current CPR Certification Card (online CPR courses will not be accepted).
• Signed Technical Standards form, located at www.utc.edu/gatp/docs/ts-print.pdf
Prerequisite course work * (submitted to the Program):
• Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body
• Exercise Physiology
• CPR
• Nutrition
• Personal Health and Wellness
• General Psychology or Sociology (or Sport Psychology or Sport Sociology)
*An electronic or hard-copy of the syllabus must be included from each of the listed prerequisite courses. Transcripts and/or course descriptions will not meet this requirement. The decision as to whether the respective syllabus meets the prerequisite requirement will be made by the Program Director. To graduate in the two-year time span, students must have already completed specific prerequisite courses prior to enrolling in certain classes in the program. Failing to complete all six prerequisite courses prior to the required program courses may extend the course of study to three years. These requirements must be fulfilled for program completion and to be eligible to register for the Board of Certification (BOC) national examination.
Policies Relevant to the Athletic Training M.S. Degree
Retention
A student admitted to The Graduate School must maintain a 3.0 grade point average on all courses taken for graduate credit. In the event the student fails to meet this standard, one of the following actions will be taken:
Probation
A student will be placed on academic probation whenever the grade point average falls below 3.0 on courses completed for graduate credit.
Dismissal (Academic)
Once placed on probation, students must raise their institutional cumulative GPA to 3.0 or higher by the end of the next two terms of enrollment (counting the entire summer as one term). Students will be academically dismissed if they fail to achieve this institutional cumulative GPA within the two semester probationary period OR if they fail to achieve a 3.0 in either probationary semester.
Dismissed students may appeal to the Graduate Council for readmission. Upon readmission, students may resume graduate study with the same continuation standards.
Program of Study
Students must submit a Program of Study during the first semester of graduate coursework. The Program of Study consists of all core courses and any electives and establishes the courses the student must take for partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. The Program of Study form is located at http://www.utc.edu/Administration/GraduateSchool/documents/PrgofStudy101ver23-21-11fwa.pdf.
Admission to Candidacy
The Application for Admission to Candidacy is typically filed in the semester prior to a student’s anticipated graduation semester. The student must have at least a 3.0 GPA on all coursework to file for admission to candidacy. Please refer to Admission to Candidacy section. The appropriate form may be obtained from the Graduate School Web site at http://www.utc.edu/Administration/GraduateSchool/documents/CandidacyandGraduationAppl12-5-2011ff.pdf.
Graduation
In order to be eligible for degree conferral, the candidate must have completed all coursework as specified on the approved Application for Admission to Candidacy form, with no course with a grade below C presented for the degree and with a minimum average of B on each of the following: a) all coursework taken for graduate credit at UTC; b) all coursework transferred to UTC for graduate credit; and c) all coursework completed to fulfill the approved Program of Study. The same credits may not be used toward two master’s degrees.
*The Graduate Athletic Training Education Program (GATEP) reserves the right to establish and enforce retention requirements above and beyond those established by The Graduate School, as stated in the GATEP Policy Manual.
Clinical Education Requirements
Once notified of admittance into the GATEP, students must meet specific requirements prior to beginning the clinical education component of the program.
Students in the GATEP will be working in a variety of health care settings. The UTC GATEP has established guidelines which comply with the CAATE accreditation standards, as well as the recommendations of the University Health Services. Students must fulfill these requirements by August 1 in order to start the clinical education component of the curriculum.
Complete the following clinical health and liability requirements:
• Medical history
• Physical examination
• Verification of meeting the GATEP Technical Standards
• Proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella
• Immunity to varicella zoster
• PPD for Tuberculin testing (required annually)
• Tetanus (please provide date of last booster)
• Criminal background check
• Negative drug screen
• P95 Particulate Respirator Mask Fit Training
• Purchase individual student professional liability coverage in the minimum of $1,000,000 per incidence/occurrence and $3,000,000 annual aggregate
• Completion of HIPAA/FERPA/Confidentiality Training
• Completion of OSHA/Blood-Bourne Pathogens Training
Additional information regarding the above requirements can be located on the GATEP website www.utc.edu/gatp under Pre-Clinical Health Requirements. FAILURE TO SATISFY THE CLINICAL HEALTH AND LIABILITY REQUIREMENTS MAY RESULT IN DISMISSAL FROM THE UTC GATEP.
Clinical Education Description
The clinical component of the GATEP includes a minimum of four (4) semester rotations under the direct supervision of an approved clinical instructor (ACI) or clinical instructor (CI) at the University or affiliate sites. The clinical education will include integration of skills into the clinical setting during supervised patient care.
Students are assigned to ACIs or CIs who provide health care to patients in a variety of clinical settings. Students will be assigned to learn under the guidance of an ACI or CI who will be physically present on-site.
Students will complete rotations on and off campus and will gain experiences with different populations, both genders, varying levels of risk, as well as equipment intensive and general medical type experiences.
There will be options available for interested students to gain experience in an industrial health care facility, orthopedic surgery, or a sports medicine rehabilitation clinic. Other sites may be substituted, either in full or part, for the industrial health care or rehabilitation clinic, as they are available and educationally stimulating. Formal evaluations of student progress and performance will be completed by the supervising ACI or CI, at the end of each clinical experience.
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