American Public University System Online Master of Science in Coaching and Athletic Development

This master's blends sport science with business, and it only partly belongs on an exercise science list. About half the credits are physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, psychology and performance testing. The rest is coaching strategy, entrepreneurship, finance and marketing. It costs $470 per credit, needs no GRE and starts every month. It fits coaches who want to run their own training business, not people seeking clinical or research training.

American Public University System is a for-profit, online-focused university system based in Charles Town, West Virginia. This 36-credit master's sits in its School of Health Sciences. Thirty-three credits are core courses and the last three are a final requirement, which you choose between a research capstone and a sports management practicum.

APU describes the program as combining sport and exercise science, sports business management and athletic coaching. You'll need a bachelor's degree from a school whose accreditor is recognized by CHEA, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. There's no application fee and no entrance exam.

The full rubric is on the methodology page. A factor marked Peer Median had no published input, so it counts at half weight.

The program page says courses start monthly and run 8 to 16 weeks, and the course schedules show 8-week sessions. Your pace is set by how many courses you take per session.

The last course is your choice. SPHS697 is a culminating research project, and you can't start it until every other course is finished and you hold a 3.0 GPA. SPMT699 is a practicum and integration project with a volunteer-hour requirement that the catalog frames around sports management, so ask how it works for a coaching student.

Who It Fits

• Coaches and trainers who want to open their own facility or private coaching business. SPMT613 Sports Entrepreneurship has you write a sports business plan as an independent research project, and finance and marketing courses sit beside it.
• Working adults with limited time. Courses run in 8-week sessions and start monthly, so you can take one course at a time or stack two. Some courses can be completed in Spanish.
• Service members and veterans. The Preferred Military Rate is $250 per credit, and the Veteran Grant takes the rate to $399.50 if the military rate doesn't apply.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants a science-heavy graduate degree in exercise physiology or research. Only six of the 11 core courses are sport and exercise science. Look at APU's separate M.S. in Sports and Health Sciences or our online exercise physiology degrees.
• Students aiming at clinical exercise physiology. Nothing here is clinical, and the ACSM-CEP route from the American College of Sports Medicine needs a program accredited by CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) starting August 15, 2027.
• Anyone who wants an internship. The practicum option is aimed at sports management and involves volunteer hours in a sports business.

The science side starts with SPHS501 Advanced Exercise and Sport Physiology, which pays close attention to lifestyle risk factors for heart disease. SPHS502 Motor Learning, SPHS507 Advanced Biomechanics, SPHS503 Nutrition for Sports Performance and SPHS505 Sport Psychology follow. SPHS509 Optimal Sports Performance teaches postural assessment and prepares you for the Performance Enhancement Specialist exam from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-PES).

The business side is SPMT606 Techniques in Coaching Strategy, SPMT613 Sports Entrepreneurship, SPMT610 Sports Finance and SPMT609 Sports Marketing, Promotion, and Public Relations. SPHS515 Sport History and Culture completes the core. Several courses have prerequisites, so SPHS501 comes early.

Courses the School Names

• SPHS501 Advanced Exercise and Sport Physiology
• SPHS507 Advanced Biomechanics
• SPHS509 Optimal Sports Performance
• SPMT606 Techniques in Coaching Strategy
• SPMT613 Sports Entrepreneurship

Standout Features

• Blend of sport and exercise science with sports business (entrepreneurship, finance, marketing); borderline in scope

The standard rate is $470 per credit, so 36 credits is $16,920 in tuition. APU adds a technology fee on master's-level courses. The Opportunity Grant is 10% off, which is $423 per credit, and the Veteran Grant is 15% off, which is $399.50.

The military rate is $250 per credit, or $9,000 for the degree, and it overrides other discounts. You can transfer up to 15 credits, so a student who transfers all 15 pays for 21 credits, or $9,870 at the standard rate. Transcript evaluation and the application are free.

36 credits at $470 a credit comes to $16,920 in tuition, before fees.

American Public University System is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor. The degree has no programmatic accreditation listed. SPHS509 leads toward the NASM-PES exam, which is a separate purchase.

Credential rules matter less here than for a bachelor's. The 2030 rule for the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) exam concerns your bachelor's degree, which must come from a CASCE-accredited program, so this master's neither helps nor hurts.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• It's borderline for exercise science. Six of 11 core courses are sport and exercise science, four are business or coaching strategy, and one is sport history.
• The final course choice is unclear for a coaching student, because the practicum is written around sports management and the capstone is research.
• You can transfer only 15 credits, so there's less room to shorten the degree than at APU's bachelor's level.
• The technology fee is added to every master's course, and APU is a very large for-profit system with a 57% federal graduation rate across the whole system.

• Which final course fits a coaching student better, SPHS697 or SPMT699, and what does the volunteer requirement involve?
• What is the technology fee per course, and is any of it waived under the military rate?
• How many courses do working students usually take per 8-week session, and how long does the degree take?
• Do I need an exercise science background, given the prerequisite chain that starts at SPHS501?
• Does SPHS509 include the NASM-PES exam fee or study materials?
• Which of my past graduate credits count within the 15-credit transfer limit?

Online-focused university system (American Public University and American Military University) headquartered in Charles Town, WV. On August 4, 2026 it combined with Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing; it is not affiliated with American University or the U.S. military.

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• Bachelor of Science in Sports and Health Sciences

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $360 per credit Score 73.6

• Master of Science in Sports and Health Sciences

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $470 per credit Score 71.9

• Jacksonville State University

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  Alabama $443 per credit Score 64.0

• Aurora University

  Master of Science in Exercise Science

  Illinois $565 per credit Score 66.0

• Pennsylvania Western University

  Exercise Science and Health Promotion, MS

  Pennsylvania $568 per credit Score 66.6

• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

  Master of Science in Kinesiology (Sport and Exercise Science emphasis)

  Texas Score 66.6