VSU was approved by the USG to offer a degree in Sports Medicine in the Fall of 1985 with the first graduates completing the program in Spring 1986. The curriculum prepared students to take the Athletic Trainer Certification exam and earn the ATC credential as an allied healthcare professional.

We were the first program in Georgia to meet national accreditation standards for the major and the name was later changed to Athletic Training. The major was eventually moved from the Kinesiology Department in the School of Education to the Health Sciences Department in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. In 2015 the decision was made by the national accreditation body that the entry-level degree for the athletic training profession would be a master's degree and undergraduate programs would no longer be eligible for accreditation. VSU decided to not pursue re-accreditation at the master’s level and the Class of 2020 would be the final graduating class. Paul Higgs (VSC ’89)

Paul Higgs MEd, LAT, ATC, CSCS, CEAS

Director, CEMR Athletic Training Clinic

Lecturer, School of Health Sciences(