There are no designated sports medicine graduate schools that confer degrees in the field; sports medicine is a medical subspecialty that is pursued by medical doctors once they have earned their Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and completed a residency training program. Sports medicine tracks often come in the form of a fellowship; graduate degree programs in related fields, such as movement science, are available.
10 Schools with a Sports Medicine Program
These ten schools offer either sports medicine fellowships as part of a Doctor of Medicine program or graduate degrees in related fields, such as rehabilitation science or movement science:
| College/University | Location | Institution Type | Program Offered | Graduate Tuition (2015-2016)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | 4-year, public | Master's, PhD, certificate | In-state: $20,638 Out-of-state $41,688 |
| University of Washington | Seattle, WA | 4-year, public | Fellowship | In-state: $15,207 Out-of-state: $27,255 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 4-year, public | Fellowship | In-state: $11,220 Out-of-state: $26,322 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA | 4-year, public | Master's, PhD | In-state: $21,260 Out-of-state: $34,944 |
| University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | 4-year, public | Fellowship | In-state: $13,026 Out-of-state: $33,812 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | 4-year, private not-for-profit | Fellowship | $45,729 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | 4-year, private not-for-profit | Fellowship | $38,800 |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | 4-year, private not-for-profit | Fellowship | $35,568 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC | 4-year, private not-for-profit | Fellowship | $36,420 |
| Rush University | Chicago, IL | 4-year, private not-for-profit | Fellowship | $32,608 |
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics
School Selection Criteria
Choosing a sports medicine fellowship depends largely on the type of sports medicine career a medical graduate seeks. Prospective sports medicine graduate students should consider the following:
- Two sports medicine fellowship options are available - surgical sports medicine, which is designed for orthopedic surgeons entering the field, and non-surgical primary care sports medicine which is for medical graduates who have completed a 3-year residency in family, internal, rehabilitation, pediatric or emergency medicine.
- Look for programs that complement your medical residency training and build upon your specialty.
- Consult with your program of choice to ensure that they will have opportunities to gain hands-on experience relevant to your field.
When choosing a school at which to complete a sports medicine fellowship or related degree, students should consider which sub-area of sports medicine they're most interested in, whether or not their residency training will be fostered and if they'll have proper experiential learning.
