Online Athletic Training Degrees

A degree in athletic training can lead to an exciting career, working with athletes to heal and prevent sports injuries. If you want to become an athletic trainer but you don't have the time or resources to attend classes in person, you can earn a degree online from the comfort of your home. Several athletic trainer programs are available online, and you can choose the program that best suits your needs and career goals.

Athletic trainers work closely with physicians to treat and prevent sports injuries. Athletic trainer programs are usually taught by coaches, professors and physicians, with the goal of giving you intimate knowledge of the human body and how it works so you can better understand and treat sports injuries. To become an athletic trainer, required courses include anatomy, athletic injuries, biomechanics, CPR, first aid, kinesiology, physiology, sports nutrition, sports psychology and wellness.

A bachelor's degree in athletic training may lead to a job at a school or college as an athletic trainer. To earn accreditation with the National Athletic Trainer's Association, choose an online program from an institution that is accredited with the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Many universities offer some online courses for athletic trainer degrees, but there are only a handful of institutions that offer undergraduate degrees in sports medicine fields that are completely online, including California University of Pennsylvania and Penn Foster.

A master's degree can help you earn higher pay or ascend to more prestigious positions as an athletic trainer. Some institutions offer online masters degrees in athletic training, including Manchester University and Lenoir-Rhyne University, while others offer online master's degrees in related fields. For more general master's degree programs, Ohio University offers a program in athletic administration.

Athletic trainers work in a variety of settings, including high schools, colleges, sports medicine clinics, dance companies, the armed forces and with professional sports teams. Some high school athletic trainers also teach physical education or other topics. Trainers also work for private companies, helping employees with injuries. Career prospects for athletic trainers are good, with a 10 percent growth rate per year.