ATEP Selection/Admission Standards

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for admittance into the Athletic Education Training Program at Southern Arkansas University the student must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Be a full-time student at SAU
2. Have completed the following courses in the fall semester of the pre-professional year with a grade of "B" or better.
   1. AT 1001 - Gateway to Athletic Training
   2. HS 1403 - Personal and Community Health
   3. HS 3413 - First Aid/Safety and CPR
3. Have completed the required observation hours (120) as outlined in AT 1001.
4. Have maintained a G.P.A. of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale for the fall semester.
5. Have current CPR/First Aid certification.

Student who complete the above criteria are eligible to apply for admission in the ATEP at SAU. The competitive admission process starts with the achievement of the above criteria and continues with the steps listed below.

1. The student must complete the application form (obtain from Program Director)
2. The student must write a brief summary of professional goals and objectives, indicating a sincere interest and commitment in athletic training as a profession.
3. The student must obtain three character reference letters. One letter must be from as SAU faculty member. Athletic Training staff/faculty are excluded.
4. The student must interview with the ATEP selection committee.
5. The student must maintain education in the spring semester of the pre-professional year in the following courses:
   1. AT 1012 - Taping and Bandaging
   2. AT 1011 - Aquatic Exercise
   3. HS 2443 - Techniques in Care and Prevention
6. The student must show progress towards keeping the minimum 2.5 G.P.A. as indicated by the mid-semester grades during the spring term.

Acceptance:

1. All forms and attachments must be turned into the ATEP Director by the third Monday in January, at which time an interview will be scheduled.
   1. Considerations may include the above criteria, the applicant's background experiences, and attendance during the pre-professional courses, and other related criteria.
2. The ATEP committee will accept a number of students so as to maintain a student athletic training team of 20 to 24 members. All students who complete the above process will be notified by March 15 as to their acceptance in the ATEP, which starts during the fall semester of the sophomore year for traditional students.
3. All students not accepted into ATEP will not be allowed to follow the Bachelor of Science degree plan for Athletic Training.

Transfer Students:

Students with previous documented clinical experience in athletic training who transfer to SAU and meet the following requirements in addition to the admission requirements may be eligible for admission to the athletic training professional program upon enrollment in the first semester at SAU.

1. Documentation of a minimum of at least 120 hours of clinical experience supervised by an NATABOC certified athletic trainer.
2. One of the three recommendation forums must be from a student's primary supervising athletic trainer from the previous institution. The remaining two recommendation forms must be from the faculty of the student's previous institution.
3. The ATEP committee will handle each situation individually based on clinical experience hours and transferable academic courses.