Athletic Trainers (ATs) are health care professionals employed in a variety of professional settings who strive to deliver the most advanced, evidence-based, comprehensive, and personalized health care services for the continued optimal performance of each physically active patient. ATs utilize the professional opinions and experience of established medical professionals and athletic training research to create a personalized approach to the care each patient receives.
The Athletic Training Program at the University of South Carolina is administratively housed in the Department of Exercise Science within the Arnold School of Public Health.
The USC AT Program provides students with experiences with a variety of patient populations,
care providers, and healthcare settings. You will find Gamecock Athletic Training
Alumni all over the world, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, US Military, NASCAR, Cirque
du Soleil, NCAA collegiate athletics, high schools in China and Europe, as well as
more traditional settings in secondary schools, sports medicine clinics, hospitals,
and industrial settings in the United States. Over the past several years, our faculty
has received a significant amount of grant funding to study healthcare and orthopedic
injuries in the military and youth football populations, heat illness, and disordered
eating. In addition, the 2016 and 2017 Shanghai Global Ranking of Sports Science Schools and Departments has rated the University
of South Carolina as No. 1 in the United States and No. 3 in the world—thanks largely
to the success of the Department of Exercise Science and its Athletic Training Program.
We currently offer both a Professional Athletic Training Program and a Master of Science in Advanced AT.
The Professional AT Program at USC is currently transitioning from the Bachelor's level to the Master's level. This program is for students interested in becoming a certified athletic trainer. If you are interested in becoming a certified athletic trainer, please click on our New MS in Athletic Training link below:
This is an advanced degree for practicing athletic trainers. Students applying for this degree must already be a certified athletic trainer by the BOC.
The Department of Exercise Science has selected seven students to receive the 2023 Outstanding Exercise Science Student Awards. This year’s winners were chosen for their academic achievements, community service and leadership roles.
The top master's and doctoral students were honored at the annual Hooding Ceremony. Sujal Patel (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training) received the Jeffrey Keith Mattison Award, and Gabriel Benavidez won the Doctoral Achievement Award.
The National Association of Athletic Trainers' Service Award recognizes recipients for their contributions to professional associations, community organizations, grassroots public relations efforts.
USC's Megan Sexton tells the story of how Arnold School alumnus Alex Medina (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training, 2015) saved the life of fellow Gamecock and Board of Trustees Member J. Egerton Burroughs through a blood cell transplant.
The director of athletic training programs and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion has been chosen to lead the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education's Board of Commissioners as president-elect and then president.
Athletic trainer Courtney Meyer joined the No. 1 program in the nation (Ph.D. in Exercise Science) to improve assessment and treatment of medical emergencies involving the head, neck and spine of youth and adolescent athletes, which are often underserved. She also is interested in addressing policy- and gender-related issues for this population.