TRADITIONAL CONCURRENT MODEL
- Multiple subjects taken at the same time
- Concepts revisited across separate courses
- Connections form across learning experiences
- Clinical reasoning develops over time
- Separate course assessments
ATSU / arizona school of health sciences / academics / Master of Athletic Training / MAT SCAFFOLDED CURRICULUM
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Why this model Curriculum architecture Clinical development Case & scenario learning Performance assessments Whole-person approach Unified learning journeyWhy ATSU’s MAT uses a different curriculum model
Most athletic training programs follow the concurrent, semester-based structure established across higher education. It’s the model universities were built around and it provides a familiar and effective way to organize instruction and deliver credit hours. Programs using this approach operate well within the structure higher education supports, and many students thrive in these environments.
ATSU’s Master of Athletic Training (MAT) program faculty chose a different approach because we believe students learn more effectively when their curriculum is highly aligned, intentionally sequenced, and developmentally grounded. In a concurrent model, courses may be well developed individually, but they often unfold on separate timelines and place the integration of knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors largely in the hands of the student or later in the hands of the clinical experience. This can delay deeper understanding until the final stages of a program.
Our curriculum reverses this pattern. We begin that integration earlier and build it into every stage of the program. Students engage with connected concepts, shared assessments, and coordinated learning experiences within each academic block (also referred to as a subscription period). Each block blends didactic learning, clinical reasoning, and simulation so students develop connected understanding well before they enter their full-time clinical experiences. The goal is simple: to create a learning environment where every step of the curriculum reinforces the next and where students experience a coherent, unified pathway toward competent, practice-ready performance.
ATSU’S LINEAR, SCAFFOLDED MODEL
- Single subject focus at a time
- Concepts build intentionally on one another
- Connections designed into curriculum
- Clinical reasoning practiced from the start
- Practice-based competency assessments
Competency-driven curriculum architecture
The MAT curriculum is anchored in a set of clearly defined competencies that outline what graduates must know and be able to do to practice athletic training safely and effectively. These competencies, commonly referred to as the AT Milestones, incorporate the integrated knowledge, hands-on skills, professional attitudes, and clinical behaviors essential to athletic training.
Within each academic block, students learn foundational concepts, practice associated skills, develop clinical practice habits, and demonstrate competence through authentic performance assessments. Because each block is mapped to specific competencies, expectations remain transparent and progressive. Students always understand what they are working toward and how each stage of the curriculum contributes to their growth as clinicians. Learning becomes a deliberate sequence with clear end goals. To learn more about the MAT program's competency-based education model, click here.
A scaffold that mirrors real clinical development
The scaffolded curriculum begins with foundational components like professional behaviors and communication, patient care and procedural skills, clinical documentation, and the fundamental examination and diagnostic skills that anchor all future learning. As the curriculum progresses, new layers are intentionally built on these foundations. A systems-based approach introduces the systems of the body in a coordinated manner, emphasizing how they interact to influence health, performance, and clinical presentation.
This whole-person, healthcare-forward orientation helps students understand patients as complex individuals rather than isolated conditions. The scaffold grows in depth as students advance through the program, offering a predictable developmental arc that mirrors how competence evolves in real clinical environments.
Foundation
Professional behaviors
& communication
Integration
Core patient care
& documentation
Complexity
Systems-based
diagnosis & management
Practice-ready
Whole-person clinical
decision-making
Case- and scenario-based learning as a core modality
From the earliest stages of the curriculum, students practice applying their knowledge through cases and scenarios that reflect real-world patient encounters and professional behaviors. These activities require learners to analyze information, interpret findings, make decisions, and communicate their reasoning. Over time, the cases incorporate broader clinical factors and greater complexity, aligning with what students will encounter in athletic training practice.
This approach moves learning beyond memorization and integrates knowledge with action. Students repeatedly apply concepts in context, strengthening clinical reasoning and deepening understanding. Simulation, problem-solving discussions, and guided reflection reinforce active learning throughout the program.
Authentic performance assessments
The MAT program evaluates progress towards competencies through performance-based assessments that reflect real clinical expectations.
These assessments provide a clear picture of a student’s readiness by examining how they integrate knowledge, interact with patients, think clinically, and carry out essential tasks.
Although traditional assessments like quizzes and exams support learning when appropriate, they are not the primary measure of advancement. Progress is based on demonstrated performance, ensuring students are prepared for the demands of contemporary clinical practice.
Students engage in:
Case-based learning
Simulated patient encounters
Documentation tasks
Competency-based skill assessments
Supervised clinical practice
A whole-person, healthcare-forward approach
Athletic trainers serve as essential healthcare providers across diverse settings. Their roles require knowledge of the full spectrum of human health, in addition to orthopaedic and athletic injuries. The MAT curriculum reflects this reality by embedding whole-person, systems-level thinking throughout the program. Students learn to assess, manage, and collaborate across a wide range of clinical presentations, including medical conditions, psychosocial factors, environmental influences, and performance-related needs.
This approach prepares graduates to participate effectively in collaborative healthcare teams and to deliver comprehensive care grounded in a broad understanding of patient wellbeing.
A unified learning journey
The MAT program's scaffolded curriculum forms a cohesive, predictable pathway to becoming an athletic trainer. Students understand how each academic block builds on the last, why content appears when it does, and how everything aligns with the competencies they must demonstrate. This clarity reduces cognitive load, supports confidence, and helps learners stay focused on meaningful progression.
Traditional programs often require students to coordinate multiple courses simultaneously, each with separate expectations and timelines. The MAT’s linear, scaffolded design provides an alternative that mirrors the way clinicians naturally develop expertise, through structured, supported progression and repeated engagement with authentic clinical challenges.
This unified, next-generation approach helps students become thoughtful, capable clinicians prepared to meet the complexities of modern healthcare.