*Samford University is no longer accepting students for the undergraduate degree program for Athletic Training beginning Fall 2017. The undergraduate athletic training program is sunsetting in June 2020, and therefore will no longer exist beginning fall 2020.
Pursuing a career in athletic training means answering a call to focus on the well being of others. At Samford University, we help you master the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to succeed as a certified athletic trainer. In four years, you’ll master every aspect of athletic training, including injury prevention, injury evaluation and diagnosis, emergency care, treatment rehabilitation and organizational administration.
Why Samford
As a student in the athletic training program at Samford, you'll find:
- Exceptional, rigorous academics
- Low student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom and clinical sites
- Highly educated and experienced faculty and clinical preceptors who have a passion for teaching
- Hands-on learning experiences that equip you for real-world careers
- Excellent clinical opportunities in major athletic training and health care facilities in metro Birmingham
Admission Requirements
Helpful documents:
Students and applicants with disabilities who seek accommodations must make a request by contacting the Section 504/Disability Access and Accommodation Coordinator, 205-726-4078 or disability@samford.edu
Clinical Education
In the athletic training program, your education will extend far beyond the classroom. You’ll take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to a variety of clinical settings around Birmingham, one of the country’s most advanced health care communities. You’ll gain experience in a variety of environments, including high school athletic departments, university athletic departments, sports medicine clinics, rehabilitation clinics and physicians’ offices.
Outcomes
Our graduates are prepared to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination to become a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) for jobs in high schools, universities, professional sports or rehabilitation facilities.
Accreditations
The undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program at Samford University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The program has been placed on Probations as of February 19, 2016 by the CAATE, 6850 Austin Center Blvd., Suite 100, Austin, TX 79731-3101.
The program has met the nationally-recognized Standards for Entry-Level Athletic Training Education that were established with support of the following sponsoring organizations: The American Academy of Family Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc.
Samford University has received undergraduate curriculum accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.
Our Commitment
“The Samford experience is distinctive for a number of reasons. Undergraduate students in the athletic training program receive a hands-on experience from practicing clinicians with a small student to professor ratio. Our courses have hands-on aspects to facilitate understanding and allow the student to learn clinical skills before transitioning either into the profession or to a professional school. Another distinctive of the department is the undergraduate research component. All students will complete an original research project with furthers their understanding of the research process, but also teaches students to think critically.”
- Dr. Robert Hensarling, ATC
Associate Professor
Director, Athletic Training Education
Life in the Program
“Samford University's Athletic Training program is a genuine practical experience. You are placed at a clinical site, and the information that you are taught in the classroom is reinforced in a real-life, on-the-field experience. The confidence that you gain is unbelievable, and the tools that you are given prepare you for anything that you may face. When you pair the experience of the program with the growth of your faith and life skills, you find a program for life. The faculty knows your name. They know you. You are not just a number. The entire Samford community wants you to succeed in your career and your life.”
-Justin Moody, Athletic Training major, class of 2013
