The Iowa Board of Regents will vote this week on Iowa State’s request to establish a Bachelor of Science program in athletic training.

The proposed major will be offered by the department of kinesiology within the College of Human Sciences. The passage of this proposal by the Board of Regents will mean that Iowa State is able to keep its accredited status granted by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Iowa State has been a CAATE-recognized school since 2001.

CAATE recently announced that all accredited schools under their jurisdiction must have athletic training as a stand-alone major prior to the 2014-2015 school year. Athletic training has been offered as an option under the department of kinesiology’s degree in kinesiology and health since the 1980s. However, Iowa State currently does not have a major solely dedicated to athletic training.

In an interview about the proposed major last October, athletic training program director Mary Meier said that Iowa State stands in a good position should this proposal pass.

“Nothing will really change,” Meier said. “The classes and faculty are already in place.”

Meier also said that athletic training has had a presence at Iowa State since the 1980s.

With the passage of this proposal, graduating ISU students will still be eligible candidates to sit for the National Athletic Trainers Association certification exam to become certified and licensed trainers.