Kinesiology: AS degree Sports Medicine /Athletic Training

Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill, CA

Cost: $4,712
Length: 64 weeks
Working 6 months later: Not reported

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

No outcomes reported for this program

About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.

The jobs this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

No regional figures for this program's city

Pleasant Hill is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.

Exercise Physiologists

Job ads may call this: Exercise Scientist · Exercise Specialist · Exercise Physiologist · Clinical Exercise Specialist

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.
Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
Recommend methods to increase lifestyle physical activity.

Show 3 more things this job involves

Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles.
Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.

Typical pay in California: $64,188per year
Projected openings: 1,450
Projected change: +16.7%
Usually needs: Bachelor's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Master's degree — 61% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Bachelor's degree. 11% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 0.8%
High school diploma: 3%
Started college, no degree: 4%
Two-year degree: 4%
Four-year degree: 21%
Master's degree: 61%
Doctorate or professional degree: 6%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.

Athletic Trainers

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Athletic Trainer · Personal Trainer · Athletic Lecturer · Athletic Instructor

Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.

Typical pay in California: $80,687per year
Projected openings: 1,290
Projected change: +5%
Usually needs: Master's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Master's degree — 35% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Master's degree. 59% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 0.8%
High school diploma: 7%
Started college, no degree: 12%
Two-year degree: 9%
Four-year degree: 31%
Master's degree: 35%
Doctorate or professional degree: 7%

Physical Therapist Assistants

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) · Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) · Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant · Home Care Physical Therapy Assistant

Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.

Typical pay in California: $85,215per year
Projected openings: 18,930
Projected change: +41.1%
Usually needs: Associate's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Two-year degree — 47% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Associate's degree. 15% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 1%
High school diploma: 3%
Started college, no degree: 11%
Two-year degree: 47%
Four-year degree: 32%
Master's degree: 4%
Doctorate or professional degree: 2%

Program details

This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.

An associate in science degree program is a two-year course of study designed for students interested in becoming allied health care professionals such as athletic trainers or physical therapists. It combines academic, laboratory and clinical experience to prepare students for further study or to obtain employment as an entry-level rehabilitation/allied health paraprofessional. Program courses include instruction in the identification evaluation and treatment of athletic injuries and illnesses first aid and emergency care therapeutic exercise anatomy and physiology exercise physiology kinesiology and biomechanics nutrition sports psychology personal and community health knowledge of various sports and their biomechanical and physiological demands and applicable professional standards and regulations.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.

The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator

Concord America`s Job Center of California / East Bay WorksComprehensive center
Phone: 925-671-4500
4071 Port Chicago HighwaySuite 250Concord, CA 94520about 5.1 miles away
Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Has a veterans' representative
East Oakland Neighborhood Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-568-8349
7200 Bancroft AvenueSuite 140Oakland, CA 94605about 13.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Unity Council Career & Resource CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-535-6101
1900 Fruitvale AvenueOakland, CA 94601about 14.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →