Adding to excellence: NGU announces graduate degree in athletic training
Ian Johnson, Sports Editor
Photo Courtesy of North Greenville University
On Oct. 8, North Greenville University announced a new graduate program offering a Master of Athletic Training degree beginning in the fall of 2027. The program will mix graduate-level classes alongside practical experience to prepare students for real-life experiences.
“We started talking about the new master’s program back before COVID, and then COVID put a stop to it,” said Jordan Hairr, dean of NGU’s Brashier College of Health Sciences. “We picked up the conversation again in 2022 and 2023.”
After many conversations, including with the administration, athletic department and other staff members, they decided to move forward with this master’s program. Hairr said that there were multiple reasons for adding this opportunity.
“One [reason] is the market right now does not have enough athletic trainers,” said Hairr. “We felt like we could fill a void in the upstate to prepare athletic trainers for the community here.”
The two-year program mixes traditional lecture-style classes and hands-on experience. According to Hairr, the classes will be paired with lab classes and clinical rotations. These classes will be located at the University Center of Greenville (UCG), pending approval from the Commission on Colleges and Universities.
“We do plan to offer the program through that [UCG] campus,” said Hairr. “It provided us the space we needed, the physical resources [and] is a central location to where we know a lot of our outside experiences happen for the students.”
A master’s degree in athletic training is important because it is a requirement to become a professional athletic trainer. To become a certified professional, a person has to earn a master’s degree and pass the national board exam.
“If you enjoy sporting events, [or] helping athletes at any level, [and] helping them reach their goals. This may be a good profession for you,” said Hairr.
According to Hairr, NGU’s curriculum is set up to be as immersive as possible. With a school that has 21 sports teams, there is plenty of opportunity for practical experience on campus. NGU being located in the Upstate is another benefit to the program.
“Being situated between Spartanburg, Greenville and Anderson where there’s not a ton of athletic training programs [allows for] plenty of opportunity for continued experience,” said Hairr.
The new program is still in the process of becoming accredited, but the professors are excited to start talking to interested students.
This will be the fourth graduate degree offered by the T. Walter and Christine M. Brashier College of Health Sciences. Many of the in-person courses and faculty of the college are located at the NGU Greer campus.
“There’s a difference between traditional undergrad education and professional graduate education,” said Hairr. “But I would say the culture with the faculty and staff is very similar to what you experience here [on the Tigerville campus].
More information about the program can be found at https://www.ngu.edu/programs/master-of-athletic-training/.
