Program Highlights

Program Features

  • New cohorts begin every year in July.
  • Dedicated faculty members with valuable clinical expertise and a passion for teaching.
    • All Franklin College faculty members have practiced in the clinical setting with a variety of patient populations and settings, including the Olympics!
  • Rooted in liberal arts education – students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills while focusing on evidence-based practice and patient-centered care.
  • Students can explore individual interests with independent research.
  • Prioritizes real-world learning experiences through an integrated approach of classroom learning and clinical application with preceptors and faculty members.
  • Students enhance didactic learning and critical thinking skills through 9 clinical education experiences, including 1 summer intensive, and 1 fully immersive (full-time) clinical experience.
  • An advanced concepts in athletic training course provides students an opportunity to explore in-depth therapeutic intervention strategies, functional movement patterns, and learn about new trends in sports medicine.
  • Housed in the Graduate Health Sciences building specifically for master’s students only.
  • Optional summer internship opportunities.
  • Planned and ongoing interprofessional education with the Master of Science in Physician Assistant program and other healthcare professions.
  • Emphasis on managing mental health conditions and crises management with full semester course and additional educational content.
  • Earn additional certifications in Instrument Assisted Soft tissue Mobilization Certification through Hawkgrips, Functional Movement Screening (FMS™), QPR Gatekeeper Training (suicide recognition and referral program) and Mental Health First Aid.

Summer Internships

Our students obtain plenty of real-world experience during our 9-part clinical rotation sequence. Students who want to gain even more experience can use the summer between year 1 and year 2 to perform an internship anywhere in the country. So far, here is where our students have interned:

Summer 2025

  • Jaiden Baiker — Fishers Freight, Fishers, IN

Summer 2024

  • Dylan Truslow — Indiana University Football, Bloomington, IN

Summer 2022

  • Kia Hreno — Arizona Diamondbacks via The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers’ Society

Summer 2021

  • Braydon Augustinovicz – ProX Athlete Development and Team Rehabilitation, Westfield, IN
  • Damien Miller – Indiana University football, Bloomington, IN

Summer 2020

  • Internships for 2020 were not possible due to Covid-19 restrictions

Summer 2019

  • Francis Stephenson – Indiana University football, Bloomington, IN
  • Jacob Leachman – South Florida football, Tampa, FL
  • Zachary Prater – Rehab Works at NASA at Kennedy Space Center, FL

Summer 2018

  • Kenzlie Westerfield – Duke University, Durham, NC
  • Rachel Bowden and Megan Battles – University of Alabama Sports Medicine, Tuscaloosa, AL
  • Ariane Bell – Union Medical Group Bone and Joint, Terre Haute, IN
  • Hannah Hoyt – ESPN Wide World of Sports, Orlando, FL

Summer 2017

  • Dan Fifer – South Bend Cubs, South Bend, IN
  • Chantel Paul – South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
  • Danielle Olson – Methodist Sports Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Additional Perks for Franklin College MSAT Students

  • Dedicated state-of-the-art graduate health facility
  • Attendance at state and district conferences primarily covered by Athletic Training club
  • Participation in the annual Indiana Athletic Trainers’ Association quiz bowl competition
  • Game polo and MSAT t-shirt provided, additional clothing available for purchase
  • Fanny pack with engraved scissors provided
  • Multiple paid for BOC practice exams

Franklin College Athletic Training (FCAT) Club

Franklin College Athletic Training (FCAT) Club is our recognized student organization that supports students in developing events and activities outside of the classroom. It assists with funding expenses for MSAT students to attend state and regional professional athletic training conferences so students have minimal out-of-pocket expenses. It also offers great experiences for networking and building relationships with future employers!

Research Topics

Franklin College MSAT students complete independent research on a topic of their interest. Independent research gives students an opportunity to explore, specialize and share findings of their clinically relevant research. While all students present their research on campus, past student research projects have resulted in peer-reviewed journal publications and presentations at professional conferences such as the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium and the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. Franklin College MSAT student research projects earned back-to-back top-scoring abstracts at the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting in 2022 and 2023 annual meetings!

Employment

Franklin College MSAT alumni have obtained employment at

  • Professional Organizations – Arizona Diamondbacks; Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Semi-professional – Jamestown Rebel Junior Hockey Team
  • Colleges and Universities – Denison College; University of Louisville; University of Alabama; Syracuse University; South Dakota State University; Manchester University
  • Industrial and clinical sites – Monarch Beverage; Methodist Sports Medicine
  • High Schools – Secina (Indianapolis); Kewanee (IL); Academy of the Lakes (FL)
  • Hospitals – Union Hospital
  • Further graduate school –  Washington University (DPT); Palmer College of Chiropractic

Virtual Tour of the Graduate Health Science Center

The MSAT Program is located in the Graduate Health Science Center (below).

MSAT Program Highlights

Clinical Education Sites

When you choose athletic training at Franklin College, your journey begins immediately with real-world experiences. You’ll spend two days a week in classes and have the opportunity to work with practicing health professionals in a variety of settings on the other 3-4 days.

Nine customizable clinical rotation experiences provide opportunities in a variety of athletic training employment settings and deliver a wide-range of experiences to make students employable in many settings. During the program, students get a jump start on second-year fall clinicals with a four-week summer intensive clinical rotation before beginning fall semester courses, then in their final spring semester, students complete a five-week clinical immersive experience. During these practice-intensive experiences, students work side-by-side with a certified athletic trainer without the interruption of in-class educational activities.

Year 1 – Summer and Fall Semesters

Spend 2-3 weeks during the summer at one clinical site and three one-month rotations in the fall to gain a breadth of experiences in a variety of settings.

Year 1 – Spring Semester and Year 2 – Fall and Spring Semester

Spend each of these three semesters at sites selected based on your career interests, working alongside practicing health professionals who serve as your mentors/preceptors and real-world instructors.

  • Year 1 — Spring Semester — Students complete a semester-long rotation.
  • Year 2 — Summer/Fall — Students complete a four-week summer intensive experience before beginning their fall semester clinical experience.
  • Year 2 — January — Students will participate in non-traditional clinical experiences, such as physician offices, orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation and sports clinics, or industrial medicine.
  • Year 2 — Spring — Students complete a semester-long rotation, finishing with a five-week clinical immersive experience.

Clinical Sites

This is not an exhaustive list of clinical sites; contact the program director for more information on additional sites.

  • Butler University
  • Franklin College
  • Franklin Community High School
  • Greenwood Community High School
  • Indy Eleven (soccer)
  • Indy Fuel (hockey)
  • Johnson Memorial Hospital Emergency Medicine
  • Johnson Memorial Orthopedics
  • Marian University
  • Methodist Sports Medicine
  • OrthoIndy
  • Pro X Athlete Development and Team Rehab
  • Roncalli High School
  • Select Physical Therapy
  • Shelbyville High School
  • Southern Indiana Orthopedics
  • Southport High School
  • St. Vincent Sports Performance
  • Whiteland Community High School

Master of Science in Athletic Training