To work as an athletic trainer, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have a bachelor's degree; and
• have a master's degree.

Education after high school

Athletic trainers must have a bachelor's degree. Accepted majors are athletic training, pre-medicine, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, exercise science, or physical education.

Some athletic trainers have a master's degree. Common areas of study are athletic training, education, and exercise physiology. In athletic training programs you learn to identify, evaluate, and treat musculoskeletal injuries. You also learn anatomy, physiology, and first aid.

On-the-job training

The length of on-the-job training varies by employer. In general, newly hired athletic trainers receive up to three months of on-the-job training.