ApplicationAthletic Training

Option 1: Post-Baccalaureate Entrance

Anyone with a bachelor’s degree who meets the prerequisites listed below is eligible to apply for admission to the professional athletic training degree program (MAT). 

Students in their final year of their bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply prior to graduation with formal admittance to the program dependent on the successful completion of the bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite requirements. 

Note: Gustavus Adolphus College does not require the GRE for application to the MAT


Applications will be accepted on the Athletic Training Common Application System

 

Application Requirements

Baccalaureate degree

Baccalaureate degree from an accredited university prior to beginning the program

Students will be required to send an official transcript upon graduation to confirm degree completion

GPA of 2.5

Cumulative GPA of a minimum of 2.5 from the undergraduate degree

Two Personal Statements

One personal statement describing why you are choosing to pursue a career in athletic training. Specifically address your motivations for pursuing athletic training as a career, your overall preparedness to enter the profession, and how you intend to make a positive impact on the profession and your future patients. 

Gustavus specific personal statement: One personal statement describing your interest and readiness for graduate school and the MAT. Specifically address your motivations to attend graduate school, why you are choosing to apply to Gustavus’s MAT program, and how your curricular and extracurricular experiences have prepared you for the rigors of graduate school and the MAT.

Academic Writing Sample

A submission of the applicant’s strongest example of academic writing that shows readiness to make the step to graduate-level writing

Resume or Curriculum Vitae An updated resume or curriculum vitae must be included
Letters of Reference

Two to Four letters of reference, with at least one from a certified athletic trainer, addressing the applicant’s readiness for graduate school education and the applicant’s potential for success in the athletic training healthcare profession.

Contact information must be provided on letter or on the resume or curriculum vitae of the applicant. 

Technical Standards Meet the program’s Technical Standards with or without accommodations. If accommodations are required, please contact the program director to set up an appointment to discuss the nature of the accommodations and to be linked up to resources at Gustavus. Applicants must complete the Technical Standards form. 
Work, Volunteer, or Observation A minimum of 30 hours of work, volunteer, or observation under the supervision of a certified athletic trainer within the last year. Documentation of these hours must be verifiable at the time of application on the MAT observation form. Note: the healthcare professional can carry dual credentials as long as they hold the ATC credential as well (i.e. PT/ATC, PA/ATC, OT/ATC, etc.). Applicants are responsible for setting up these experiences. The program does keep a list of potential sites that applicants can feel free to contact. 
Current Emergency Cardiac Care certification and First Aid certification Applicants will need to have current First Aid and Emergency Cardiac Care certification. Appropriate Emergency Cardiac Care certification is determined by the Board of Certification for Athletic Training as found here
MAT Prerequisite Courses

The following courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better in order to attain admission to the MAT. 

*If the class was taken for pass/fail on the official transcript, the student must get documentation of the final percentage/letter grade that would have been attained from the instructor or the college. 

An official transcript must be submitted from each institution where prerequisite coursework was completed. 

Applications will be considered, and contingent admission decisions rendered, for students who have no more than three courses in progress or still needing to be completed at the time of application. Admission decisions will be contingent upon the successful completion of those outstanding courses. The MAT may request syllabi to review in order to determine the appropriateness of a course in meeting the prerequisite standards. 

  • Biology with lab - at least one semester, must not be botany
  • Chemistry with lab - at least one semester, must discuss properties of solids, liquids, and gasses, chemical bonding, etc.
  • Physics with lab - at least 1 semester, must discuss properties of light, sound, electricity, thermodynamics, and kinetics/kinematics/motion
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab - 2 semesters (can be a combined A&P sequence or an individual Anatomy and individual Physiology course)
  • General Psychology - at least one semester
  • Choice of one other psychology course - Abnormal, Sport, Exercise Psychology - at least one semester
  • Human Nutrition - at least one semester
  • Exercise Physiology - at least one semester
  • Statistics and Research Methods - at least one semester if a combined course or 2 semesters if separated
  • Biomechanics - at least one semester

Note: Due to the variation in course titles and content, please contact the MAT Program Director with questions about prerequisite equivalencies.

Note: meeting minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee admission