Admission into the Montana State University Billings Athletic Training Program (ATP) is a competitive process. The ATP accepts applications on a rolling admission basis however students are encouraged to submit their application, no later than May 1st as the program and courses begins in June.  Currently, the ATP’s maximum number of students is 10 per cohort.

Please see below for prerequisite courses. Students who do not have a prerequisite course(s) may be admitted provisionally but must take the course(s) within one year of admission.

A student will receive notification from the graduate studies office when your application has been received. Applications are reviewed by the Program Director and ATP Faculty within 3 weeks of the application deadline. You will be notified of the interview and selection process in a timely fashion. The student will be notified of the final decisions regarding your acceptance status acceptance by the graduate studies office.

Once a student has been accepted into the program, students will work with the program director or their faculty advisor to complete their plan of study according to catalog policy. The plan of study must be filed with the Graduate Studies office, McMullen Hall, Room 200. 

Prerequisite Courses

Students entering this graduate program are expected to have appropriate academic preparation prior to beginning academic coursework in athletic training. The following courses are listed using general course titles.  Transcript evaluation will be done by the graduate faculty to determine fulfillment of prerequisite knowledge in these areas.  The course description and/or syllabus will be used to determine acceptance.

two ATP students at the high school state basketball tournament

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Anatomy and Physiology with Lab, 2 semesters
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Kinesiology or Biomechanics

Recommended/Suggested courses (not required):

  • Statistics
  • Nutrition
  • Motor Learning
  • Research
  • Epidemiology
  • Pathophysiology
  • Public Health
  • Survey of US Healthcare Systems

Application Process

Below are admission requirements and application steps specific to the ATP.  Additional information can be found at in the MSUB Graduate Catalog.

  1. Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 (however a GPA below a 3.0 may be considered)
  2. A standardized graduate admission test (GRE or equivalent) must be on record if cumulative GPA is below a 3.0
  3. Three letters of recommendation from academic and professional references concerning the candidate’s potential to succeed in graduate school.  At least one letter must be from a certified athletic trainer.
  4. It is recommended but not required to obtain a minimum of 25-50 contact hours with a certified athletic trainer.
  5. Official transcripts from each institution attended.
  6. An essay stating why you want to be an athletic trainer, career goals, and the attributes you possess that will make you successful in life and athletic training.
  7. Completed application through ATCAS.  Once you have applied and been admitted through ATCAS, you will also be required to complete the MSUB graduate student application form and submit the application fee.
  8. The Athletic Training Program at MSUB has rolling admission therefore you can apply at any time, however the last day to submit an application to begin in summer (mid-June) 2024 is May 17, 2024.
  9. Students will be required to participate in a web based interview as part of the application process.

Provisional Acceptance

Once a student has met all admission criteria and is admitted into the ATP, that student will receive provisional acceptance.  In order to gain full acceptance the student will have to successfully complete the following.

  1. Technical Standards
  2. Criminal Background Check

Technical Standards

All students must complete a technical standards disclosure prior to full admittance into the program, however a student does not have to complete a technical standard as part of the initial application process into the program (please see above).  A student must sign and submit their technical standards after acceptance but prior to attending classes.  If there is an issue with a technical standard, each case will be reviewed on an individual basis and the situation will need to be discussed and rectified.  In the event a student is unable to fulfill these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, the student will not be admitted to the program.

 

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