MU Master of Athletic Training earns maximum accreditation award
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Another Manchester University program has been recognized as one of the best in its field.
The Master of Athletic Training Program has been awarded a 10-year accreditation cycle by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
This is the maximum allowable accreditation cycle, an endorsement of both the excellence of the MU program and its success in pursuing the goal of staying ahead of the curve in a changing industry.
“This is a testament to our dedicated faculty, support staff, students and administration for their hard work and unrelenting support,” said Dr. Mark Huntington, dean for Natural and Health Sciences and program director of graduate athletic training.
This accreditation is the program’s first since its initial accreditation in 2012. It was based on information gathered during a site visit last November and on a self-study last July.
Needless to say, it was exactly the hoped-for result.
“We’re always confident that our program is strong and we are in compliance with the standards,” Huntington said. “So we’re always hopeful for the maximum allowable. One never knows what they may find as far as compliance with the standards or how they’re interpreting the standards, of course. But, yes, we were confident that we were going to get the full measure.”
Launched in 2010, the program – one of the few of its kind in Indiana – offers a two-year Master of Athletic Training Program and an accelerated “3-2” program that allows students to obtain both an undergraduate degree in exercise science and fitness and a MAT degree in five years instead of the customary six.
Students in the master's program have a 97 percent first-time pass rate on the Board of Certification exam – a key measure of success for athletic training programs.
An entry-level program that admits qualified students regardless of where they obtained their undergrad degrees, it attracts high-end students to Manchester from California to Virginia.
Because athletic trainers play an important role in preventing injuries and containing health care costs, demand for such professionals is projected to continue to grow. Graduates work in high schools, colleges and universities, in hospitals and clinics, in fitness and recreation centers, in business and industry, and with professional sports teams.
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Prepared by Benjamin Smith in the MU Office of Strategic Communications.
About Manchester University
Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers more than 60 areas of academic study to 1,600 students in undergraduate programs, a Master of Athletic Training, a Master of Pharmacogenomics and a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy. It has students from 20 nations and is home to the world's first undergraduate peace studies program, established in 1948. Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at www.manchester.edu.
April 2017