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Home » Certificates & Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) » Athletic Therapy Certificate Program

Athletic Therapy Certificate Program

The Athletic Therapy Certificate Program is accredited by the Canadian Athletic Therapists' Association and prepares you to achieve the professional designation of a Certified Athletic Therapist in Canada, enabling you to work with professional athletes as well as the active population, both on the field and in the clinic.

If you have any questions about the Athletic Therapy Certificate Program please email: ugkhs@yorku.ca

This certificate is a 3-year program and can be earned in conjunction with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) options in Kinesiology & Health Science.

Want to learn more about the AT Program from our Faculty and Students?

Join us for an Information Session to Learn More

When: January 27, 2026, 3:30-4:30pm

Where: 114 Stong College

Click here to register for an information session about the Athletic Therapy Certificate Program, or scan the QR code below.

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Certified Athletic Therapists

Certified Athletic Therapists are best known for their quick-thinking on-field emergency care of professional and elite athletes. The first to respond when someone gets hurt, they are experts at injury assessment and rehabilitation. It’s that same mix of on-site care and active rehabilitation skills that makes Athletic Therapists so effective in treating the musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, and joints) injuries of all Canadians, whether on the field or in the clinic.

Athletic therapists adhere to the Sports Medicine Model of care. They treat a wide range of patients, from kids with concussions to seniors recovering from hip replacement surgery, using various manual therapies, modalities, exercise prescription, and even bracing and taping. The treatment varies but the objective doesn’t: an Athletic Therapist's goal is to help patients return to their usual activities, whether that means playing competitive sports or walking to the mailbox and back.

Certified Athletic Therapists can be recognized by the credential CAT(C).

Highly trained and versatile, Certified Athletic Therapists can be found working in environments such as:

  • Private sports medicine and other therapy clinics
  • Professional sports, such as the NHL, CFL, NBA, MLB, MLS
  • Major games, such as the Olympic Games, Pan American, Canada Games, World University Games
  • Teaching or research at universities, colleges, and private schools
  • High school, amateur, and varsity athletics
  • Professional dance and film industries
  • Sales and marketing for health-related companies
  • Municipal government and industrial workplaces
  • Military, Police and Firefighter industries
  • Insurance industry

Canadian Athletic Therapists Association: CATA

CATA Logo

Course Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Students must complete the pre-requisite courses (KINE 2495, 2011, 2031), the core KINE courses and the Athletic Therapy curricular courses along with the remaining degree requirements for the BA or BSc in Kinesiology and Health Science.

Students can apply to the Athletic Therapy Certificate Program in the winter term of their second year in the KINE program. Note the pre-requisites for applying. Find more information on the webpage about Admissions and Application

After completing the certificate, students are eligible to take the National Certification Exam through the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA). After passing the exam, you use the title Certified Athletic Therapist and a wide variety of job opportunities are available from professional sport to private sports medicine clinics to varsity settings and much more. Check out our alumni video to see where some of our graduates work (Video on Athletic Therapy Alumni).

Students transferring from another academic institution will be required to become a student in the Kinesiology and Health Science program first. You may be provided academic credit for some of your courses already taken. Perspective students are encouraged to email us at (ugkhs@yorku.ca) for information on the process.

Applicants must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 5.00 (C+) and a minimum grade of C+ in the prerequisite courses: KINE 2011, KINE 2031 and KINE 2495.

The Athletic Therapy Certificate is a 3-year program, taken concurrently with your Kinesiology and Health Science degree. The Athletic Therapy Certificate courses count towards your Kinesiology degree elective requirements so you can still finish both the certficate and your degree within your 120 credits.

Yes. The certificate program is a 3-year program. If you enter after your second year, it will take a total of 5 years to complete your KINE degree and the certificate.

Yes, you will create a new application if you wish to apply again.

Yes, there is a comprehensive interview that has individual and group components. Full details are provided to students who are selected for an interview.

Students will have field placements and clinical placements. Students have an opportunity in their 2nd or 3rd year of the program to have placements off-campus. These placements are connected to PKIN courses (HH/PKIN 0811 and 0812 – Practicum for Athletic Therapy I & II). Clinical and Field placement commitments and required hours will vary and will depend on each placement needs, which may involve a requirement to be involved at your placement into the weekday evenings and/or weekends. The practicum placement may be located on or off campus and may require travel to get to your placement.

The Athletic Therapy Curriculum counts towards your KINE degree. These courses are used as your KINE elective courses.

There are prerequisite courses to apply to the program - Visit School of Kinesiology and Health Science - Admissions and Application and there are curricular courses for the certificate program - Visit Athletic Therapy Curriculum.

Strongly recommended courses to help you during the program include:

KINE 3456 - Advanced Regional Human Anatomy: The Trunk and Visceral Systems

KINE 3460 - Regional Human Anatomy 1

KINE 4740 - Psychology of Sport Injury and Rehabilitation

The reference will provide information about your attributes. We have them to rate you on the following: leadership ability, communication, initiative, professionalism, time management & dedication.

Before final acceptance letters are submitted, we will request and review the final grades for the winter term to ensure students meet the GPA requirements.

Yes.

No, if you meet the GPA requirements your application will be considered.