Southeast Missouri State University graduate student Lance Wenzel figured out he wanted to be an athletic trainer when he was in high school. Now, he has an outlet to pursue a master’s degree in that field.
Wenzel will be in the first cohort of Southeast’s brand new Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) degree program, offered for the first time this summer.
“I wanted to become an athletic trainer, so all my college decisions have been made to support that,” Wenzel said. “When I came to SEMO for First Step, I talked with Kyle Schneider, and he told me that I would be a part of the first cohort.”
The Department of Allied Health, Kinesiology, and Sport Sciences’ Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) allows students to work alongside professionals and patients, learn the science, and attend national conferences. The Southeast ATEP has a 78% first-time pass rate for the Board Certification exam.
“This program has taught me the basics of everything I need to know to apply the information to the real world and be ready for the job market,” Wenzel said.
Wenzel accepted a GA (graduate assistant) position through the Jane Stephens Honors Program along with starting the MSAT degree. He credits many of the faculty members in the Department of Allied Health, Kinesiology, and Sport Sciences as inspiring him during his time as an undergrad and pushing him toward this brand new program.
“Some of the biggest things I have learned as graduation comes near is that the people you meet and the connections you make can lead to great networks being formed,” Wenzel said. “I have learned to work with other allied health professional majors and learn how we all work together to care for the overall health of patients.”
The master’s degree is a two-year program for those who already have a bachelor's degree, or an accelerated three-year program for those starting from scratch. The core curriculum is based on the required subject matter meeting the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) standards and the competencies set forth by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).
Wenzel wants to help set a gold standard for the program as a part of the first class in the program this summer.
“I want to set the standard of greatness for the first cohort,” Wenzel said. “Everything I do, I do to the best of my ability, and this will be no exception. I want to set the bar very high so that everyone after this group will be pushed to excellence.”