UW–Madison senior Maya Topin arrived on campus in the fall of 2019 as a dance major who already had her eye on a future career in health care.
“I’m really passionate about working with athletes and active populations, and helping people stay involved in the sports and activities they really enjoy,” says Topin. “So I came into college thinking I wanted to become an athletic trainer.”
While the Athletic Training program at UW–Madison is offered at the master’s degree level, Topin learned about the Athletic Healthcare certificate offered through the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, and declared for the certificate the summer after her freshman year.
“The Athletic Healthcare certificate is perfect for me,” says Maya Topin. “It has been a great learning experience and gives me access now to classes that interest and excite me.”
Topin is like a growing number of students from around UW–Madison who are pursuing certificate programs offered by the School of Education in fields across the arts, health, and education. At the undergraduate level, 563 students were enrolled in six different certificate programs offered by the School in the fall of 2017. Five years later, in the fall of 2022, that number has more than doubled to 1,206 students across 17 certificate programs.
The Athletic Healthcare certificate is among the newer offerings and launched in the fall of 2020, with 12 students initially committing to the program. During the 2022 fall semester, that number exploded to 140 students having declared for the certificate.
“We’ve noticed that there’s a real popularity in offerings through our Department of Kinesiology that are stepping stones to health care careers,” says Andy Winterstein, a distinguished clinical professor with the Department of Kinesiology who directs both the Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program and the Athletic Healthcare certificate. “With athletic training moving to the master’s degree level a couple years ago, we wanted to have some offerings in the undergraduate space — but we wanted it to be broader than just athletic training and more inclusive to students who are going into a variety of health care realms.”
A certificate is a series of courses in a related discipline that can be completed in addition to a major. Certificates at UW–Madison are similar to minors at many other universities, and allow students to add to, deepen, and provide a new perspective on their primary degrees. Such efforts can help students stand out in future job interviews or on graduate school applications.
The certificate in Athletic Healthcare provides a structured undergraduate offering for students with an interest in health care for active populations. Students acquire specialized knowledge related to the fields of health care, sports medicine, and physically active populations.
The combination of required core courses and elective options makes this certificate appealing to students from a wide array of backgrounds and majors. Students can select elective courses that will be applicable to a variety of career interests.
This program is intended to provide students with meaningful learning experiences that ultimately gives them an advantage in pursuing advanced or professional degrees in health-related fields.
“Many of the primary core instructors are the same for both our graduate-level Athletic Training program and for the Athletic Healthcare certificate,” says Winterstein. “We think we’ve created a valuable certificate that’s of interest to students going in many different health care directions.”
In addition to pursuing a BS in Dance, Topin is also working toward a second degree through the Department of Kinesiology’s Health Promotion and Health Equity program. Topin also is the president and co-founder of the Sports Medicine and Athletic Healthcare Club at UW–Madison, and shadows athletic trainers working with University Recreation & Wellbeing, and the Dance Department.
Topin has been an advocate for athletic health care in the Dance Department since arriving on campus, and last year served on the hiring committee that made athletic training services accessible to dance majors at UW–Madison.
“As a dance major, I think I bring a unique perspective to athletic health care that draws from my own experiences with injury and rehabilitation,” says Topin. “Seeing how my peers and I have benefited from the increased access to athletic health care has really confirmed that this is the field I want to dedicate myself to.”
Topin learned in mid-December that she has been accepted into UW–Madison’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program, which she will begin this summer.
“When I am done with dance, athletic training will allow me to remain involved with athletics and keep that important part of my life,” says Topin. “This certificate program already has me thinking about and learning things I’ll be able to apply for the rest of my life.”