Kinesiology department develops new athletic training master’s degree

NMSU’s Athletic Training Program has established a new master’s degree in athletic training. This new degree will begin in June 2023, starting the process of producing highly qualified professionals in athletic training as health care providers. 

“The goal is to make sure our students are graduating with both the academic skills and knowledge, but also the real-world application skills to immediately go into the field and be an independent practitioner, and to take those skills and make a difference for the space they work in,” says Kim O’Connell, program director for NMSU’s Athletic Training Program. “We have great candidates coming in this first cohort, and I’m really excited to see where it’s going to go.”

For the application process, the department is using a new centralized application system, which allows students from around the country to apply. O’Connell estimates there will be six or seven students for the first cohort. While this is the national average, NMSU officials anticipate that number will grow to a cohort of 10 to 16 students in the future.

O’Connell explained that due to the continuous expansion of medicine, this new master’s program was essential to prepare students to become experts in enhancing the quality of patient health care in the athletic training profession.