Culver-Stockton College Announces Accelerated Master’s Degree Program with Westminster

The two colleges are working strategically together to enhance opportunities for students who are interested in becoming certified athletic trainers, a rapidly growing field that will require a master’s degree for certification by 2022. The new strategic partnership, which officially begins fall 2021, allows students to complete both an undergraduate degree and the master’s degree in Athletic Training in as early as five years. This partnership between the two colleges is one of the few in Missouri that will seamlessly matriculate from undergraduate to graduate coursework.

Dr. Jay Hoffman, Department Chair of Athletic Training & Health Sciences at C-SC says athletic trainers will need the advanced degree to excel in their field and this partnership will financially reward the students. Hoffman stated, “Athletic Training is one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the nation, and this partnership will allow students to matriculate even sooner into their healthcare career.”

This partnership opens the opportunity for students at Westminster College to be on the same accelerated masters track as those attending Culver-Stockton College. For incoming first-year students at C-SC, they complete their entire coursework in five years and graduate with a Master’s in Athletic Training (MAT). The Westminster + C-SC agreement allows Westminster students to complete three years of undergraduate courses on their campus and then transfer to C-SC to complete their studies and confer a MAT degree. These courses include a variety of clinical experiences in both athletic and hospital settings. The skill-based opportunities provided to the students at C-SC will take place within the medical communities of Canton, Hannibal and Quincy.

Culver-Stockton’s MAT is a nationally ranked program, seated at #11, where 100% of graduates passed the Board of Certification exam on their first attempt in the last three years. In addition, all MAT graduates at C-SC attend professional conferences or participate in public relations and professional advocacy events at the state, district or national levels. Graduates are entering the workforce with the degree they need to excel in their profession and their investment will pay dividends. Hoffman exclaimed, “Obtaining a master’s degree in five years represents a substantial tuition savings and an extra year of income that can be worth approximately $70,000 for these focused and conscientious students!”