Master in Athletic Training

Why pursue a Master of Athletic Training degree at North Central College?

The CAATE accredited Master of Athletic Training Program at North Central College prepares athletic trainers for fast-paced careers in a wide variety of settings, including competitive athletics, occupational health, clinical healthcare settings, and performing arts environments. You'll develop the skills required to deliver the highest quality patient‐centered and evidence‐based healthcare to your patients. We know you’ll be practice-ready when you graduate because we integrate personal and professional development into your education, while our curriculum ensures you are fully prepared for certification as an athletic trainer. Your five semesters of clinical experience will prepare you to be a curious, engaged, ethical, and purposeful citizen and leader in healthcare. Our unique curriculum ensures you will gain hands-on experience managing athletic injuries and illnesses in both simulated and actual patient care formats. Our expansive alumni network, expert clinical preceptors, and dedicated faculty can help you realize your athletic training goals.

As a student of North Central's Athletic Training Program you will;

• Complete a Quality Improvement project related to an athletic training topic
• Have access to online textbooks and medical databases for the most up-to-date information
• Gain nearly 1000 hours of clinical experience to help you solidify and apply your classroom knowledge
• Become part of a community of scholarly clinicians who work together for maximal student growth

The Changing Healthcare Environment

The skills and knowledge you develop in the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) program will help carry you from your first job to your dream job and translate to a wide range of settings. Telemedicine, healthcare informatics, and a deep exploration of athletic training practice are all part of the entry-level curriculum, and prepare you for employment in any of these settings:

• Hospitals and Healthcare Systems
• Medical Clinics
• High School and Club Sports
• Colleges and Universities
• Industrial or Occupational Settings
• Performing Arts

Our accredited program has a long history of successfully preparing future health professionals for the Board of Certification (BOC) Exam to become certified athletic trainers.

By incorporating forward-thinking curricular content and providing intensive clinical experiences in a variety of settings, the Master of Athletic Training degree will equip you with the skills needed for a rewarding career in healthcare. Whether it’s caring for the health and safety of athletes on professional sports teams or keeping active employees on the job, you’ll be practice-ready as an athletic trainer upon graduation.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!