Athletic training, as defined by the National Athletic Trainer's Association, is practiced by athletic trainers, health care professionals that collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients (terminology approved by NATA Board of Directors in October, 2007 according to http://www.nata.org/athletic-training/terminology). Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment as well as functional limitations and disabilities. Athletic trainers, working in collaboration with other members of the health team, work to help an athlete achieve and maintain their optimum performance ability within their given field or sport.
The Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training degree program prepares students for the Board of Certification Examination. Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) are qualified to work in a variety of settings, including high schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, clinics, and other areas as an integral part of the health care team. Students will receive education in prevention, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, reconditioning, organization and administration, and professional responsibility related to the management of athletic-related injuries and illnesses.
The bachelor‛s in athletic training degree program includes topics such as: anatomy and physiology; the care, treatment and prevention of athletic injuries; emergency care for acute injuries; taping and bracing; recognition and evaluation of athletic injuries; physiology of exercise; health and wellness plans; therapeutic modalities; theory of prescribing exercise; rehabilitation plans; management in athletic training; theory and practice of strength and conditioning; and pharmacology.
The athletic training education requires that 750 hours of clinical rotations on- and off-campus be completed before graduation. Students must provide their own transportation to clinical rotations. Students are required to complete a number of tasks prior to their clinical coursework including but not limited to a physical exam, CPR certification, and signing a technical standards agreement to ensure the ability to complete tasks and requirements associated with the position.
Important Note: Acceptance into the Athletic Training Education Program is competitive. Not all students will be admitted into the clinical coursework which begins in the sophomore year. Acceptance is determined by the Athletic Training Education Program Admission criteria and the availability of clinical sites. All interested students must attend mandatory advising meetings prior to applying to the clinical portion of the athletic training program and submit an application for consideration to be accepted into the clinical portion of the athletic training program.
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University‛s General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
| Competency | Requirements | GCU Course Options | Total Credits |
| University Foundations | Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community. Students with fewer than 24 credits will fulfill the University Foundations requirement with a specified lower-division course. An upper-division selection will be made available to students that enter the university with more than 24 credits. | UNV-103/303, University Success: 4 credits | 4 credits |
| Effective Communication | Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition. | UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4 credits ENG-105, English Composition I: 4 credits ENG-106, English Composition II: 4 credits |
9-12 credits |
| Christian Worldview | Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV 101. | CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4 credits | 4 credits |
| Critical Thinking | Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, physical geography, ecology, economics, theology, logic, philosophy, technology, statistics, accounting, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of intermediate algebra or higher. | PHI-105, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 4 credits MAT-134, Applications of Algebra: 4 credits BIO-220, Environmental Science: 4 credits |
11-12 credits |
| Global Awareness, Perspective and Ethics | Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, crosscultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). | HIS-221, Themes in U. S. History: 4 credits PSY-100, Psychology in Everyday Life: 4 credits SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4 credits If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course. |
6-8 credits |
| Course # | Course Title | Course Description | Credits |
| BIO-155 | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology - Lecture | A study of the basic structure and function of the major systems of the human body, this course focuses on an in-depth exploration of the musculoskeletal and neurological systems for athletic training, health, and exercise science majors. This course also compares normal and abnormal function for more comprehensive understanding of the human body. Co-requisite: BIO-155L. | 3 |
| BIO-155L | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology - Lab | This lab is designed to complement and support the principles taught in BIO 155. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to identify and describe functions, structures, and classifications of the skeletal, muscular, and organ systems along with related disorders. Co-requisite: BIO-155. | 1 |
| EXS-214 | Care, Treatment, and Prevention of Athletic Injuries - Lecture | This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of the principles of sports medicine, the care and treatment of athletic trauma, and the use of proper conditioning principles for the prevention of injury. Prerequisites: One of the following combinations: 1) BIO-155 and BIO-155L; or 2) BIO-201, BIO-201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or 3) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BIO-474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-214L. | 3 |
| EXS-214L | Care, Treatment, and Prevention of Athletic Injuries - Lab | This lab is designed to complement and support the principles taught in EXS-214. The course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of the principles of sports medicine; the care and treatment of athletic trauma; safety and its importance in related settings; and the use of proper conditioning principles of the prevention of injury. Prerequisites: One of the following combinations: 1) BIO-155 and BIO-155L; or 2) BIO-201, BIO- 201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or 3) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BIO-474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-214. | 1 |
| BIO-253 | Emergency Care for Acute Injuries | This course includes the study of the proper techniques in caring for a patient by recognizing catastrophic and emergent conditions and treating appropriately. Students learn establishing and maintaining an airway, maintaining neutral spine alignment with an athlete wearing protective equipment, wound management, immobilization, transfer techniques including spine boarding, core body temperature, as well as caring for athletes with conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Students are prepared to complete Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) certification upon completion of the course. Prerequisites: One of the following combinations: 1) BIO 155 and BIO 155L; or 2) BIO 201 and BIO 202. | 4 |
| EXS-322 | Clinical Instruction: Emergency, Taping, Bracing | This 16-week-long course is designed to provide a clinical setting in which athletic training students clinically apply and demonstrate proficiency in athletic training skills. In this clinical course, students select, apply, evaluate, and modify appropriate standard protective equipment, taping, wrapping, bracing, padding, and other custom devices for the client/patient. In addition, students also clinically evaluate and manage a patient with an emergency injury or condition to include the assessment of vital signs and level of consciousness, activation of emergency action plan, secondary assessment, diagnosis, and provision of the appropriate emergency care (e.g., CPR, AED, supplemental oxygen, airway adjunct, splinting, spinal stabilization, control of bleeding). Students are assigned to an approved clinical instructor who supervises students on a daily basis through constant visual and auditory interaction and provides feedback to students on their progression. The mode of delivery is student-to-student demonstration and a clinical exam testing students' proficiency at a clinical site (high school, college, and/or professional) on true patients. Prerequisite: Acceptance into Athletic Training Clinical phase. | 4 |
| EXS-356 | Recognition and Evaluation of Athletic Injuries I | This course is designed to provide students with specific knowledge and practical skills required to perform proper evaluation of the upper and lower body. Students learn to palpate body and soft tissue structures, and perform active, passive, and resistive range of motion testing, neurological testing, and special ligament tests for the major synovial joints in the body. Students are provided multiple opportunities to reinforce their knowledge with hands-on practice. Prerequisites: EXS 214 and EXS 214L. | 4 |
| EXS-340 | Physiology of Exercise - Lecture | This course is a study of the effects of exercise on the body. Topics include nutrition as the basis for physical activity; how energy is produced and utilized during physical activity; the energy delivery and vital functions of the respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems during exercise; how these systems can be enhanced through training; the impact of ergogenic aids and environmental stress on performance; and the effect of exercise on body composition, weight control, aging, and disease prevention. The body‛s responses and adaptations to exercise at the systemic, as well as the subcellular level, are also discussed. Prerequisites: Prerequisites: One of the following combinations: 1) HLT 253 or BIO 160 or BIO 201 and BIO 202; or 2) one of these combinations: (a) BIO-155 and BIO 155L; or (b) BIO-201, BIO-201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or (c) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BIO-474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-340L. | 3 |
| EXS-340L | Physiology of Exercise - Lab | This is a course of field and laboratory experiences designed to reinforce the basic principles learned in the lecture course. Skills of measurement and evaluation, including computerized methods employed to facilitate testing, are applied to physiological and systemic principles of exercise. Prerequisites: One of the following: 1) none; or 2) one of the following combinations (a) BIO 155 and BIO 155L; or (b) BIO-201, BIO-201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or (c) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BI- 474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-340. | 1 |
| BIO-356 | Health Promotion and Wellness and Protection | This course includes the study of the general principles of health maintenance and promotion. Students learn the role of exercise including flexibility, strength training, and cardiovascular conditioning in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Topics include nutrition and dietary requirements for health and weight management. Students administer testing procedures to obtain baseline data regarding a client/patient's level of general health and use this data to design a program specific to the performance and health goals of the client/patient. In addition, this course reviews the basics of evidence-based practice in athletic training. Prerequisites: BIO 155 and BIO 155L. | 4 |
| EXS-352 | Clinical Instruction:Health and Wellness Plans | This 16-week-long course is designed to provide a clinical setting in which athletic training students clinically apply and demonstrate proficiency in athletic training skills. In this course, students administer testing procedures to obtain baseline data regarding a client's/patient's level of general health (including nutritional habits, physical activity status, and body composition) then use this data to design, implement, evaluate, and modify a program specific to the performance and health goals of the patient. This includes instructing the patient in the proper performance of the activities, recognizing the warning signs and symptoms of potential injuries and illnesses that may occur, and explaining the role of exercise in maintaining overall health and the prevention of diseases. Students are assigned to an approved clinical instructor who supervises students on a daily basis through constant visual and auditory interaction and provides feedback to students on their progression. The mode of delivery is student-to-student demonstration and a clinical exam testing students' proficiency at a clinical site (high school, college, and/or professional) on true patients. Prerequisite: EXS-322. | 4 |
| EXS-357 | Recognition and Evaluation of Athletic Injuries II | Building on concepts of EXS 356, this course is designed to provide students the opportunity to further analyze and apply skills in the areas of evaluation of upper and lower body, palpation of body and soft tissue structures, range of motion testing, neurological testing, manual muscle testing, and special ligament tests for the major synovial joints in the body. Prerequisite: EXS 356. | 4 |
| EXS-335 | Kinesiology - Lecture | This course is an analysis of human movement, integrating knowledge of the skeletal, muscular, and neurological systems with the effects that gravity, friction, internal and external forces, and the laws of motion have on their functions. Topics presented include biomechanics of human bone, joint, and skeletal muscle; structure and function of the upper extremity, lower extremity, and spine; concepts of linear and angular kinematics and kinetics as applied to human motion; equilibrium and stability on land; and motion through a fluid medium of air or water. Included is the application of these factors to various types of physical skills. Prerequisites: One of the following combinations: 1) BIO 160 or BIO 201; or 2) one of these combinations (a) BIO-155 and BIO-155L; or (b) BIO-201, BIO-201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or (c) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BIO-474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-335L. Recommended: PHY-101 or PHY-111 (may be taken concurrently). | 3 |
| EXS-335L | Kinesiology - Lab | This laboratory course is designed to apply the anatomical, kinesiological, and biomechanical principles learned in the lecture course to human body movement. Movement of all of the major joints of the body is analyzed by relative and absolute joint position and muscle action, and biomechanical terms—such as linear and angular kinematics, friction, work, power, energy, and torque—are applied to human motion. Prerequisites: One of the following: 1) none; or 2) one of the following combinations: (a) BIO-155 and BIO-155L; or (b) BIO-201, BIO-201L, BIO-202, and BIO-202L; or (c) BIO-360, BIO-360L, and either BIO-474 or BIO-484. Co-requisite: EXS-335. Co-requisite: EXS-335. | 1 |
| EXS-354 | Clinical Instruction: Evaluation Techniques | This 16-week-long course is designed to provide a clinical setting in which athletic training students clinically apply and demonstrate proficiency in athletic training skills. In this clinical course, students perform a comprehensive clinical examination of a patient with an upper extremity, lower extremity, head, neck, thorax, and spine injury or condition. This exam incorporates clinical reasoning in the selection of assessment procedures and interpretation of findings in order to formulate a differential diagnosis and/or diagnosis, determine underlying impairments, and identify activity limitations and participation restrictions. Based on the assessment data and consideration of the patient's goals, students provide the appropriate initial care and establish overall treatment goals. Students are assigned to an approved clinical instructor who supervises students on a daily basis through constant visual and auditory interaction and provides feedback to students on their progression. The mode of delivery is student-to-student demonstration and a clinical exam testing students' proficiency at a clinical site (high school, college, and/or professional) on true patients. Prerequisite: EXS-352. | 4 |
| EXS-387 | Therapeutic Modalities | This course is a study of various therapeutic modalities that aid in the healing process of injuries. The course covers the theory behind and proper use of these modalities with laboratory experience. Prerequisites: EXS 214 and EXS 214L. Co-requisite: EXS 387L. | 3 |
| EXS-387L | Therapeutic Modalities Lab | This course is designed to complement and support principles being taught in EXS 387. Practical applications of therapeutic modality application techniques are learned. Prerequisites: EXS 214 and EXS 214L. Co-requisite: EXS 387. | 1 |
| EXS-426 | Theory of Prescribing Exercise | This course covers the specific and applied use of exercise in prevention of injury, improvement of performance, and recovery from disability and dysfunction. Included are specific exercise routines, kinesiological principles, history and scope of rehabilitating exercise, abnormal clinical kinesiology, examination procedures, and reconditioning of specific disorders. Prerequisites: BIO 160 or BIO 201, and EXS 340. Co-requisite: EXS 426L. | 3 |
| EXS-426L | Theory of Prescribing Exercise - Lab | This course reinforces and expands learning gained in the lecture course. Practical applications and experiments include exercise prescription and rehabilitation techniques. Prerequisites: BIO 160 or BIO 201, and EXS 340. Co-requisite: EXS 426. | 1 |
| EXS-355 | Clinical Instruction: Rehabilitation Plans | This 16-week-long course is designed to provide a clinical setting in which athletic training students clinically apply and demonstrate proficiency in athletic training skills. In this clinical course, students perform a comprehensive clinical examination of a patient with an upper extremity, lower extremity, head, neck, thorax, and spine injury or condition. Based on the assessment data and consideration of the patient's goals, the student creates and implements a therapeutic intervention that targets these treatment goals to include, as appropriate, therapeutic modalities, medications (with physician involvement as necessary), and rehabilitative techniques and procedures. Students integrate and interpret various forms of standardized documentation including both patient-oriented and clinician-oriented outcome measures to recommend activity level, make return-to-play decisions, and maximize patient outcomes and progress in the treatment plan. Students are assigned to an approved clinical instructor who supervises students on a daily basis through constant visual and auditory interaction and provides feedback to students on their progression. The mode of delivery is student-to-student demonstration and a clinical exam testing students' proficiency at a clinical site (high school, college, and/or professional) on true patients. Prerequisite: EXS-354. | 4 |
| EXS-420 | Management in Athletic Training, Health and Athletics | This course deals with the organization and administration tasks and techniques required in an athletic training program, the commercial health industry, and interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics. Topics include program and human resource management; budgeting; inventory and finance management; insurance; organizing and promoting health; and legal considerations, ethics, decision making, and communication in athletic training, health, and athletic settings. | 4 |
| EXS-366 | General Medical Conditions | This course provides a broad discussion of general medical conditions and associated pathologies of the physically active, as well as applicable information to athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers of all levels. This course covers evaluation techniques and equipment, coverage of all body systems and conditions, as well as special populations. Prerequisites: EXS 214 and EXS 214L. | 4 |
| EXS-358 | Clinical Instruction: General Medical Conditions | This 16-week-long course is designed to provide a clinical setting in which athletic training students clinically apply and demonstrate proficiency in athletic training skills. In this clinical course, students develop, implement, and monitor prevention strategies for at-risk individuals (e.g., persons with asthma or diabetes, persons with a previous history of heat illness, persons with sickle cell trait) and large groups to allow safe physical activity in a variety of conditions. This includes obtaining and interpreting data related to potentially hazardous environmental conditions, monitoring body functions (e.g., blood glucose, peak expiratory flow, hydration status), and making the appropriate recommendations for individual safety and activity status. The student will also demonstrate the ability to recognize and refer at-risk individuals and individuals with psychosocial disorders and/or mental health emergencies. Students are assigned to an approved clinical instructor who supervises students on a daily basis through constant visual and auditory interaction and provides feedback to students on their progression. The mode of delivery is student-to-student demonstration and a clinical exam testing students' proficiency at a clinical site (high school, college, and/or professional) on true patients. Prerequisite: EXS-355. | 4 |
| EXS-458 | Theory & Practice of Strength and Conditioning | This course is the study of the physiological responses to exercise, exercise technique, program design for anaerobic and aerobic exercise, exercise prescription principles, and organization and administration of strength and conditioning facilities. This course provides students information on the design and implementation of a successful strength and conditioning program. Emphasis is placed on assessment, description, and analysis of sport movement, and designing weight training programs to enhance performance variables. Workshops reinforce these goals, focusing on assessment of athletic performance, as well as the development of musculoskeletal flexibility, speed, agility, quickness, strength, and power. This course assists those students who desire to take the National Strength and Conditioning Association‛s Certified Strength and Conditioning (CSCS) Exam. Prerequisites: EXS-340 and EXS-340L. | 4 |
| EXS-370 | Pharmacology: Drug Use and Abuse | This course examines current theories and practices of pharmacology and epidemiology of drug use as related to athletic training and sports medicine. Additional topics include drug abuse issues, such as: performance-enhancing substances; psychological, legal, social, and cultural implications; and approaches to solving drug abuse problems. Prerequisites: EXS-214 and EXS-214L. | 4 |
| EXS-415 | Advanced Athletic Training | This capstone course acts as a culmination of the learning experiences during the athletic training education program at Grand Canyon University. Students are challenged to demonstrate higher level thinking, review evidence-based literature, and display athletic training professional behaviors. This course focuses the student for preparation for the Board of Certification (BOC) examination and fulfills the writing-intensive course requirement. Prerequisite: Successful completion of all previous coursework in the program of study. | 4 |
| Required Course Total Credit: | 80 | ||
| General Education Requirements: | 34 - 40 credits |
| Courses: | 80 credits |
| Open Elective Credits: | 0 - 6 credits |
| Total Degree Requirements: | 120 credits |
This program is offered in the following formats or locations:
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Program Disclosure
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* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.