Athletic Training is a cooperative educational program housed in the Department of Health & Kinesiology with support from the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Division of Recreational Sports, and the Purdue University Student Health Center. The goals of the program are to prepare students as entry-level athletic trainers through an extensive curriculum of didactic and clinical experiences and to prepare students to sit for and pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam. Some Athletic Training students choose to pursue graduate or professional school (physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician's assistant, etc.).
Points of Pride
- The reputation of Purdue's accredited athletic training education program reaches nationwide. The legacy of AT at Purdue belongs to William E. Pinky Newell, universally recognized as a founding father of modern athletic training. Mr. Newell served as head athletic trainer at Purdue from 1949 through 1976.
- Graduates of the program are head and assistant athletic trainers in the NFL, NBA, Big Ten, and Pac-10, as well as other conferences across the country. They serve in high schools and clinics in all parts of the United States.
- Purdue’s AT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
Important note on selective review: All students begin as Pre-Athletic Training majors; complete the first year of courses, including supervised, instructional work in the training room; and then must apply for selection to upper-level AT. The program is highly selective, with only 10-15 students advancing to the sophomore year (typically from a pool of 50-80 students) to complete the remaining three years of the program. Students not selected for upper-level AT work with their academic advisor to change to their second choice major, usually without adding time to their four-year degree plan.