Admission Criteria
Admission into the Master of Athletic Training Program is a competitive process where up to 22 students are selected to enroll in courses. All students are assessed holistically, and we use the following required information to make a decision on a student’s readiness for graduate education in a health care profession.
The program has both traditional M.A.T. (post-baccalaureate) and accelerated M.A.T. (5-year EXSC B.S. to accel. M.A.T.) options.
Traditional M.A.T. Application Requirements
Students must be accepted into the University of Arkansas Graduate School. Requirements for this include:
- An overall 3.00 undergraduate grade-point average.
- The Athletic Training Program Application Process has additional application and admission requirements specific to the program as well as application deadlines for early and regular admission.
Prerequisite Courses
The following are the program's prerequisite requirements. A letter grade of B or higher is preferred for each course.
- Nutrition
- Exercise Physiology
- Biology
- Human Physiology
- Human Anatomy
- Chemistry
- Physics
- General Psychology
If you have completed your prerequisites outside of the U of A, then each of the courses listed (see below) are assessed with a course description (or syllabus upon request). More information about specific U of A courses that meet the program’s prerequisite requirements can be found at the corresponding links in the table below.
If you have any questions about prerequisites, please reach out to Program Director Luzita Vela, Ph.D., to discuss them.
The following courses offered at the University of Arkansas meet the prerequisite requirements.
| Course | Title | Credit hours |
| NUTR 12103 | Fundamentals of Nutrition | 3 |
| EXSC 31503 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 15403 | Principles of Biology (ACTS Equivalency = BIOL 1014 Lecture) | 3 |
| BIOL 22103 | Human Physiology (ACTS Equivalency = BIOL 2414 Lecture) | 3 |
| BIOL 24403 | Human Anatomy (ACTS Equivalency = BIOL 2404 Lecture) | 3 |
| CHEM 11003 or CHEM 12003 |
University Chemistry I (ACTS Equivalency = CHEM 1414 Lecture) or Chemistry for Majors I |
3 |
| PHYS 20103 | College Physics I (ACTS Equivalency = PHYS 2014 Lecture) | 3 |
| PSYC 20003 | General Psychology (ACTS Equivalency = PSYC 1103) | 3 |
Accelerated M.A.T. Application Requirements
Exercise Science (EXSCBS) undergraduate students interested in the accelerated M.A.T. program should identify with a pre-AT designation in their degree plan, must alert the M.A.T. program director by the 2nd year of the EXSCBS degree, express an intent to apply no later than fall of their 3rd year, and apply by Jan. 8 of their 3rd year (see course progression (PDF)). In order to apply, interested students must have at least a 3.2 GPA at time of application and either have successfully completed or be enrolled in the following prerequisite courses that are part of the EXSCBS degree plan:
| Course | Title | Total credit hours |
| BIOL 15403 and 15401L | Principles of Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 22103 and 22201L | Human Physiology | 4 |
| BIOL 24403 and 24401L | Human Anatomy | 4 |
| CHEM 11003 and 11001L or CHEM 12003 and 12001L |
University Chemistry I or Chemistry for Majors I |
4 |
| EXSC 31503 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| NUTR 12103 | Fundamentals of Nutrition | 3 |
| PHYS 20103 and 20101L | College Physics I | 4 |
| PSYC 20003 | General Psychology | 3 |
If enrolled in any of these courses at time of application, final admission in the accelerated M.A.T. program will be contingent on applicants successfully completing the courses by earning a C or better in each course.
The Athletic Training Program Application Process will have additional application and admission requirements specific to the program as well as application deadlines for early and regular admission.