Master of Science in Athletic Training

• Graduate Certificate (Not Applicable)

   

• Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

   

• Master Degree

  Students who graduate from the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program will be able to demonstrate competencies in each of the following content areas as identified by the Board of Certification Practice Analysis, 7^th Edition. At the end of their study at WSU, students in this program will be proficient in:

  • Promoting health lifestyle behaviors with effective education and communication to enhance wellness and minimize the risk of injury and illness. (Injury and Illness Prevention and Wellness Promotion)
  • Implementing systematic, evidence-based examinations and assessments to formulate valid clinical diagnoses and determine patients’ plan of care. (Examination, Assessment, and Diagnosis)
  • Integrating best practices in immediate and emergency care for optimal outcomes. (Immediate and Emergency Care)
  • Rehabilitating and reconditioning injuries, illnesses and general medical conditions with the goal of achieving optimal activity level based on core concepts (i.e., knowledge and skillsets fundamental to all aspects of therapeutic interventions)
  • Using the applications of therapeutic exercise, modality devices and manual techniques. (Therapeutic Intervention)
  • Integrating best practices in policy construction and implementation, documentation and basic business practices to promote optimal patient care and employee well-being. (Healthcare Administration and Professional Responsibility)

The WSU Master of Science in Athletic Training degree is designed to enable students with a bachelor's degree in an area other than athletic training to obtain eligibility for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Graduates of the MSAT are eligible for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination.
The program provides students with knowledge and skills in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries and general medical conditions. The Master of Science in Athletic Training program (MSAT) is specifically designed to prepare students for a career in health care as a certified athletic trainer. Athletic trainers are currently employed in colleges and universities, public and private high schools, corporations, rehabilitation clinics, professional sports, the military, factories, and hospitals (www.nata.org - National Athletic Trainers' Association).

Contact Information:
Matthew Donahue
3992 Central Campus Drive, Dept 3504
Ogden, UT 84408-2805
Swenson Bldg. Rm 307E
(801) 626-7389
Master of Science in Athletic Training Website

The WSU Master of Science in Athletic Training Education Program (MSAT) uses several assessment tools to evaluate the quality of individual courses and instructors, the quality of the clinical experiences and clinical affiliations, the performance of each student following each clinical rotation, and the satisfaction with the education provided by our recent graduates and alumni.  We also track our students' pass rate on the Board of Certification (BOC) examination, their job/graduate school placement rate, and the graduation rate.

Evaluation of courses/teaching:

• ATN Course evaluation (for courses taught in the Department of ATN) – This is completed by each student towards the end of each academic course. Peer evaluations are conducted on all full-time faculty by other faculty in the department. All full-time faculty must assemble a teaching portfolio for their second and fifth year tenure reviews as well as during the promotion process. All of these documents are maintained by the Department Chair.

Data analysis and discussion:

• Once a year, the Program Director and the Clinical Education Coordinator run the statistics on each of these assessment tools to identify trends.  The AT faculty meet to review the data and trends to see where we can make improvements to the MSAT.  With these trends in mind, we develop and implement strategies to address areas of concern.  We also look to see if previous changes have had the intended impact.

Overall program evaluation:

• Approximately one year following graduation, we send each graduate the Graduate Athletic Training Alumni Survey to complete We track our graduate placement data, indicating where our graduates were placed in jobs or graduate school.  We report our students' pass rate on the BOC certification examination, including the three year aggregate data for first-time pass rates and overall pass rates. We track our graduation/attrition rate.

Maintained electronically by the Clinical Education Coordinator:

• Athletic Training Preceptor Evaluation
• Athletic Training Clinical Facility Evaluation

The Clinical Education Coordinator visits and evaluates each clinical site at least once per year.

Evaluation of clinical education experiences:

• When students are approximately halfway through each clinical rotation, they are required to meet with their Preceptor to discuss their performance to that point.  Students are asked to discuss strengths as well as weaknesses and recommendations for improvement.  These mid-rotation conversations are then documented by the student, signed by the Preceptor, and submitted with their clinical course packet. Final Clinical Rotation Evaluation (Preceptor's evaluation of the student) - completed by each student's Preceptor at the end of each clinical rotation.

Evaluation of learning outcomes:

• Each year, an annual outcomes report is submitted to Office for Institutional Effectiveness documenting our learning outcomes and student performance.
• In each graduate practicum course (MSAT 6501, 6502, 6503, 6504), students:
• Must score a minimum of 80% on all oral/practical and written examinations. 
• Must satisfactorily complete every unit in their respective clinical course packet.
• Other outcomes in this report include BOC pass rates and successful completion of key projects and exams in the MSAT program (see below)
  • MSAT 6500 – Written Final Exam (comprehensive)
  • MSAT 6431 – Oral/Practical Final Exam (comprehensive)
  • MSAT 6600 – Written Final Exam(comprehensive), AT Facility Project
• Every 5-7 years, an internal program review is conducted including a self-study, site visit, response reports, and a presentation to the Graduate Council.

• 2021-2022

   

• 2019-2020

  1) First year student success is critical to WSU’s retention and graduation efforts. We are interested in finding out how departments support their first-year students. Do you have mechanisms and processes in place to identify, meet with, and support first-year students? Please provide a brief narrative focusing on your program’s support of new students:

  a. Any first-year students taking courses in your program(s)

  Being a graduate program, our students’ experience is a bit different but we do have a high number of new to Weber students. The program director meets with all students during the first two weeks of class and has regular check-ins with students to ensure they are having a good experience and to address issues as they arise. 

  b. Students declared in your program(s), whether or not they are taking courses in your program(s)

  As a graduate program whose student progress in cohorts, our students have great peer support and regular interaction with program faculty. The program director and faculty regularly check in with each student, and each student is formally evaluated at least twice per semester by their clinical preceptor. 

  2) A key component of sound assessment practice is the process of ‘closing the loop’ – that is, following up on changes implemented as a response to your assessment findings, to determine the impact of those changes/innovations. It is also an aspect of assessment on which we need to improve, as suggested in our NWCCU mid-cycle report. Please describe the processes your program has in place to ‘close the loop’.

  We review the assessment data to address any deficiencies and areas of growth.  For example, several years ago, the minimum grade on graduate practicum oral/practical and written exams was a 70%.  We noticed that most students significantly exceeded that and determined that it was appropriate to raise the bar to further challenge the students, so we raised the minimum score to 80%.  At times, some students have been able to achieve this score on their first attempt, but we initiated programmatic changes to ensure that they’re better prepared and the scores have improved significantly (see assessment data).  

  The full report is available for viewing. 

• 2017

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • Not all students achieved our outcomes goals this year and a majority of students in MSAT 6501 did not earn an 80% or better on their final written exam.  The faculty all reviewed the exam for the content from each of our teaching areas from the previous semester.  We realized that some of the questions needed to be updated and have made significant revisions to the exam.  The faculty member was also new and received a syllabus with an error that stated only a 70% was required, rather than 80%.  So, both she and the students prepared to meet that goal rather than the 80% goal, which likely also contributed to the lower scores.  The program director is working with the faculty member teaching the course in the spring 2018 semester and the scores will be reviewed again after that semester to determine if additional changes are needed.
  • Two individuals did not pass the BOC certification exam on their first attempt.  Typically, all of our students pass this exam on their first attempt, so this was disappointing.  One of the two students did pass the exam on their second attempt.  We feel that the second student is competent and capable, but that their English-language skills have impeded their ability to understand the questions.  The program director is continuing to work with and mentor this student and is confident that they will pass the exam in the near future.  While this did reduce our three-year aggregate first-time pass-rate to 93%, this is still well above the national average of 83% and the minimum required by accreditation standards of 70%.  We have recently revised our admission requirements, increasing the required TOEFL score and requiring those not meeting the minimum score to attend WSU one semester prior to the MSAT program beginning to immerse in the language, take advanced ESL courses, and complete 2 additional prerequisite courses taken in English.  We hope that this will improve our international students’ success on the certification exam.

   

  2) We are interested in better understanding how departments/programs assess their graduating seniors or graduate students. Please provide a short narrative describing the practices/curriculum in place for your department/program. Please include both direct and indirect measures employed. Finally, what were your findings from this past year’s graduates? 

  • The Graduate Practicum courses (MSAT 6501, 6502, 6503, and 6504) taken each semester require students to review and demonstrate proficiency in all content areas (broken up by semester).  Students must earn a minimum of 80% on each comprehensive written and oral/practical exam in order to pass the course and progress in the MSAT program.  The MSAT 6504 class is taken in their final semester and students must pass this course (as well as every other MSAT courses) in order to graduate from the MSAT program.  Every student successfully passed this course and graduated on time.
  • All MSAT students are also required to complete a rigorous, master’s thesis research project.  The project spans 2-3 semesters and each student’s final product includes a full manuscript and oral defense.  As mentioned previously, many of our MSAT students present their research at regional and/or national conferences and several have published their manuscripts in peer-reviewed research journals.
  • MSAT students are also required to take MSAT 6998 (BOC exam preparation), which prepares them for the Board of Certification exam.  BOC certification is required to obtain a state credential and to practice athletic training in 49/50 states.  The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) also requires programs to achieve a 70% first-time pass rate (3 year aggregate) in order to maintain accreditation.  We are also required to post these scores on our website for the public.  The data is posted on p. 13 of this report, which demonstrates that we have exceeded this goal.  We see performance on this rigorous, national certifying exam as one of the best indicators of student mastery of the content.
  • As mentioned previously, two individuals did not pass the BOC certification exam on their first attempt. While this did reduce our three-year aggregate first-time pass-rate to 93%, this is still well above the national average of 83% and the minimum required by accreditation standards of 70%.  See previous question for more details and our action plan.

   

  The full report is available for viewing. 

• 2016

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • We found that for several years, almost all of our students were earning the minimum 70% on their final exams in the graduate practicum courses.  In fact, almost all were earning an 80% or better on these exams.  For the 2015-16 academic year, we have increased the minimum standard in all graduate practicum courses.  Students in MSAT 6501, 6502, 6503, and 6504 will now have to earn an 80% or better (instead of a 70% or better) on both their final comprehensive written and oral/practical exams in order to pass the course.  Students who do not earn an 80% will have one opportunity to retake the exam.
  • Not all students achieved this goal this year, but it was the first year we had implemented this change. We feel that our students are ready for this increased level of rigor and will meet the challenge, once they become more accustomed to the higher level of expectation.  We will continue to monitor their success on these exams during the 2016-17 academic year.

   

  2) We are interested in better understanding how departments/programs assess their graduating seniors. Please provide a short narrative describing the practices/curriculum in place for your department/program. Please include both direct and indirect measures employed.

  • These are graduate students, not seniors, however, we do assess them prior to graduation.  The Graduate Practicum courses (MSAT 6501, 6502, 6503, and 6504) taken each semester require students to review and demonstrate proficiency in all content areas (broken up by semester).  Students must earn a minimum of 80% on each comprehensive written and oral/practical exam in order to pass the course and progress in the MSAT program.  The MSAT 6504 class is taken in their final semester and students must pass this course (as well as every other MSAT courses) in order to graduate from the MSAT program. 
  • MSAT students are also required to take MSAT 6998 (BOC exam preparation), which prepares them for the Board of Certification exam.  BOC certification is required to obtain a state credential and to practice athletic training in 49/50 states.  The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) also requires programs to achieve a 70% first-time pass rate (3 year aggregate) in order to maintain accreditation.  We are also required to post these scores on our website for the public.  The data is posted on p. 13 of this report, which demonstrates that we have exceeded this goal.  We see performance on this rigorous, national certifying exam as one of the best indicators of student mastery of the content.
  • We also have alumni complete a program satisfaction survey 6-12 months following graduation.
  • Our program utilizes a “learning over time” model in which students review content from previous courses in the graduate practicum courses (MSAT 6501, 02, 03, and 04).  In these practicum courses, we do not introduce new content and do not re-teach previous content, unless needed in certain areas.  Students practice their skills in class through peer assessments and the course instructor will evaluate skills as needed and as time allows.  At the end of the semester, all students must complete and pass both a comprehensive written and oral/practical exam covering all of the content reviewed in that course (typically 2-4 previous courses).  The students have informally reported over the years that reviewing the content again in a later semester helped them to better comprehend the material and master the skills.  The practicum courses have also helped the faculty to identify which content areas the students are weakest in, which allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our other courses.  We have used the information gathered from this to make curriculum changes and instructor changes when needed.

   

  The full report is available for viewing. 

• 2015

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • We found that for several years, almost all of our students were earning the minimum 70% on their final exams in the graduate practicum courses.  In fact, almost all were earning an 80% or better on these exams.  For the 2015-16 academic year, we have increased the minimum standard in all graduate practicum courses.  Students in MSAT 6501, 6502, 6503, and 6504 will now have to earn an 80% or better (instead of a 70% or better) on both their final comprehensive written and oral/practical exams in order to pass the course.  Students who do not earn an 80% will have one opportunity to retake the exam.  We feel that our students are ready for this increased level of rigor and will meet the challenge.

   

  2) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?

  • Our program utilizes a “learning over time” model in which students review content from previous courses in the graduate practicum courses (MSAT 6501, 02, 03, and 04).  In these practicum courses, we do not introduce new content and do not re-teach previous content, unless needed in certain areas.  Students practice their skills in class through peer assessments and the course instructor will evaluate skills as needed and as time allows.  At the end of the semester, all students must complete and pass both a comprehensive written and oral/practical exam covering all of the content reviewed in that course (typically 2-4 previous courses).  The students have informally reported over the years that reviewing the content again in a later semester helped them to better comprehend the material and master the skills.  The practicum courses have also helped the faculty to identify which content areas the students are weakest in, which allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our other courses.  We have used the information gathered from this to make curriculum changes and instructor changes when needed.
     

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2014

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence? 

  • The MSAT continues to provide the students with a well-rounded, rigorous curriculum.  The faculty are continuously evaluating the curriculum based on how students perform on exams and skill assessments throughout each semester.  Issues that are identified are discussed and managed at the weekly AT faculty meetings.  This year’s data is consistently strong when compared to data from previous years.  The faculty are confident that the MSAT program prepares students effectively for the Board of Certification exam and a career in the Athletic Training profession.
  • The master’s thesis research project adds an additional element of rigor and prestige to the program.  However, it can be challenging for some students to complete the thesis on time.  In the 2013-14 year, we added additional structure to the MSAT 6085 and 6090 classes to help the students stay on track to complete the research on time.  Each year, one or two students seem to need additional time to complete their thesis.  This year, two students needed extra time.  As mentioned previously, students who do not complete their thesis by the end of the fall semester (conclusion of MSAT 6090) will be required to register for MSAT 6095 in the spring semester to provide additional structure and facilitate on-time completion of the project.

   

  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • All Athletic Training Faculty and the Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance.

   

  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take? 

  • We will not take any actions to make significant program changes to the program at this time.  However, this report was completed shortly after receiving the report from the 5-year review process, so we are currently working on the issues addressed in Appendix A.  In addition, the MSAT Program will have an external accreditation (CAATE) site visit in the 2014-15 AY, scheduled for November 16-19, 2014.  Any issues noted during the site visit will be rectified following the receipt of the site visit report.

   

  The full report is available for viewing

• 2013

  The Master of Athletic Training program conducted a 5 year program review with full self-study during the spring of 2014. Those results are presented in place of the Annual Assessment. Please reference those documents for information that includes data for the 2012/13 academic year.

2019-20

2013-14