LVC Alum Shares How to Work Abroad as an Athletic Trainer
The Athletic Training 3+2 Program at a Glance
LVC’s Athletic Training 3+2 is a five-year, in-person program in Pennsylvania that allows you to earn a bachelor’s degree and a CAATE-accredited Master of Athletic Training.
You spend your first three years in the undergraduate phase, then transition into the Master of Athletic Training professional phase in year four, earning both degrees in five years instead of the traditional six. Clinical placements are guaranteed, and you gain hands-on experience early, including 32 weeks of dissection in our Human Anatomy Lab.
How to Become an Athletic Trainer
To practice as an athletic trainer, you need to:
- Earn a degree from a CAATE-accredited athletic training master’s program and complete supervised clinical hours.
- Pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam for athletic trainers.
- Obtain licensure or certification in the state where you plan to practice.
LVC’s 3+2 program is designed to take you through both the bachelor’s and the CAATE-accredited master’s in five years, so you graduate meeting the degree requirements and prepared to sit for the BOC exam and pursue state licensure, saving you both time and money.
Athletic Trainer Salary and Career Outlook
Athletic training is a growing field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 13% job growth for athletic trainers from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average for all occupations, with a 2025 median salary of $62,520.
13%
projected job growth for athletic trainers 2025–35 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
$62,520
Median annual pay for athletic trainers, 2025 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Career Opportunities
Athletic trainers can choose from careers as part of healthcare teams in many different settings.
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Secondary School Athletics
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Professional Sports
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Industrial Settings
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Fitness Centers
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Military
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Rehabilitation Centers
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Community Recreation Programs
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Law Enforcement
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Performing Arts
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Hospitals
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Doctors’ Offices
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Youth Sports Organizations
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Sports Medicine Clinics
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Corporate Wellness Programs
Faculty Spotlight
Learn More About the Athletic Training 3+2 Program
Our students gain real-world experience learning and conducting research in spaces like our Lewis Human Performance and Gross Anatomy Labs—the kind of facilities that make other colleges with 3+2 athletic training programs, major research universities, and corporations jealous. Clinical placements are guaranteed.
In Their Words
The LVC Athletic Training program has one of the few cadaver labs in the state. The fact that I was able to see and touch the muscles and various body systems has helped me greatly now that I am working with patients and athletes.
Tori Manmiller
’24, M’25,
Athletic Trainer, Clontarf Sutton Athletic Therapy
Completing the five-year athletic training program at Lebanon Valley College not only prepared me for my future career, but also helped me grow as a person, and gave me long lasting friendships and memories.
Abbie Kisamore
’25, M’26,
Athletic trainer, Manheim Central High School
LVC offers undergraduate Athletic Training 3+2 students a beautiful flow of courses for studying human anatomy. Students take Anatomy & Physiology their first year, Human Movement their second year, Fundamentals of Anatomy their third year, and then spend 32 weeks in the cadaver lab their fourth year. This is a significant differentiator for LVC among other regional Athletic Training programs and sets students apart in their careers.
Dr. Eva Frank,
director and associate professor of athletic training
Frequently Asked Questions
Five years. LVC’s 3+2 program combines a bachelor’s degree with a CAATE-accredited Master of Athletic Training, so you earn both degrees in five years instead of the usual six and graduate prepared to sit for the Board of Certification exam.
You need a degree from a CAATE-accredited athletic training master’s program, supervised clinical hours, a passing score on the Board of Certification (BOC) exam, and state licensure. LVC’s 3+2 program is built to take you through the accredited bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway in five years.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2025 median annual pay of $62,520 for athletic trainers, with 13% projected job growth from 2025 to 2035, faster than average. Pay varies by setting, experience, and location.
Yes. The Master of Athletic Training program in the 3+2 pathway is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
You need a minimum 2.75 GPA to advance from the undergraduate phase into the Master of Athletic Training professional phase in year four.
Athletic trainers work in secondary school and college athletics, professional sports, hospitals and physicians’ offices, rehabilitation and sports-medicine clinics, the military, performing arts, corporate and industrial wellness, and public safety settings.
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