There are two different professional degrees for athletic trainers (professional bachelor's degree and professional master's degree). The same educational competencies and proficiencies are mandated by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) for either type of athletic training program, yet there is a difference in degree level (bachelor's and master's). Graduates from master's degree programs have a higher first-time pass rate on the Board of Certification Exam and are more likely to practice as an athletic trainer than graduates with a bachelor's degree only but it is unknown if graduates are facing different expectations in the field. The purpose of this study was to identify if employers of athletic trainers have different expectations of employees with a professional master's degree than a professional bachelor's degree. Employers of athletic trainers were asked to provide their level of expectation in the areas of athletic training knowledge, athletic training skills, critical thinking, leadership, and professional maturity for professional master's and bachelor's degree athletic trainers. This cross-sectional quantitative study used an online survey to collect employer expectations on a 0-10 visual analog scale. Participants were employers of athletic trainers within The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Districts 4 and 9. Seventy-eight participants completed the survey from the 2477 emails dispersed by the NATA. The employer expectation for all bachelor's degree constructs combined was lower than master's degree constructs combined t(76) = -11.45, less than or equal to 0.000. There were significantly higher expectations for professional master's degree prepared athletic trainers in knowledge t(76) = -9.17, less than or equal to 0.000, skills t(76) = -9.21, less than or equal to 0.000, critical thinking t(76) = -10.41, less than or equal to 0.000, leadership t(76) = -9.76, less than or equal to 0.000, and professional maturity t(76) = -8.76, less than or equal to 0.000. The results of this study demonstrated that employers expect better-prepared practitioners if they are hiring someone with a professional master's degree over a bachelor's degree. Athletic training educators must be aware that advancing a degree level should accompany better-prepared practitioners. Educators teaching in professional master's degree programs and athletic training educational programs transitioning to the master's degree level should increase content taught, improve educational processes, and improve the quality of their graduates. Education increasing in degree level should have a corresponding increase in student abilities to meet employer expectations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]