California State University, Bakersfield Master of Science in Kinesiology (Online)

CSU Bakersfield's online M.S. in Kinesiology is a public university master's priced at $651 a credit. Tuition for 30 credits is $19,530, and the school's own estimate with books is $22,100. You choose a thesis, a practicum-based project or a comprehensive exam to finish. It suits people who already have kinesiology coursework and want a state school degree. It lists no certification prep and no programmatic accreditation.

California State University, Bakersfield is a public, Hispanic-Serving university in the southern San Joaquin Valley. The online master's runs through its Extended Education unit with the Department of Kinesiology, and the page aims it at people heading into allied health and fitness work. It emphasizes behavior change, exercise physiology, program design, movement science and evidence-based practice.

The graduate program director is an assistant professor of kinesiology. The faculty list also includes lecturers who hold Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and athletic trainer credentials, so the program mixes research-track professors with working practitioners.

The 30 credits split into three blocks. Core courses take 18 credits: KINE 6010 Research Methods, 6020 Advanced Exercise Physiology, 6030 Advanced Movement Science, 6040 Advanced Behavior Change, 6050 Advanced Program Design and 6060 Evidence-Based Practice. In 6060 you build an evidence-based intervention plan for a problem you choose.

Current topics take 6 credits through KINE 6700 Special Topics, which can repeat for up to 6 units.

The last 6 credits are your capstone. The thesis option pairs KINE 6180 Kinesiology Research with 6810 Thesis. The project option pairs KINE 6170 Practicum with 6800 Culminating Experience. The exam option is KINE 6820 and 6830 Focused Topics. All three need an approved petition for advancement to candidacy.

Courses the School Names

• Research Methods in Kinesiology
• Advanced Exercise Physiology
• Advanced Movement Science
• Advanced Behavior Change
• Advanced Program Design in Kinesiology
• Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology
• Kinesiology Practicum/Field Experience
• Current Topics in Kinesiology: Assessments of Movement Dysfunction

Standout Features

• Emphasis on behavior change, exercise physiology, program design, movement science and evidence-based practice
• Choice of thesis, culminating project or comprehensive exam; faculty include CSCS- and ATC-credentialed lecturers
• Three start terms per year (spring, summer, fall)

Who It Fits

• Kinesiology graduates who want a master's without moving. The admission rules are written for people with a kinesiology background, and the program is 100% online with a full-time or part-time option.
• Working professionals who need a slower pace. The school says the degree can be finished in four semesters, and many students take longer depending on their plan and capstone. Part-time is built in.
• Students who want to choose their finish line. You can write a thesis, complete a project through a supervised practicum, or take a comprehensive exam. You settle that with the graduate program director based on your interests and faculty availability.

Who Should Skip It

• Career changers without science coursework. Non-majors need three undergraduate courses in movement science areas plus one in sport or exercise psychology first. That's extra time and tuition before the master's starts.
• Anyone who wants credential alignment on the page. Nothing here says the coursework prepares you for exams from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). If exam eligibility drives your choice, compare the online master's degrees in kinesiology that state it.
• People who need a live, structured cohort. The page doesn't describe live sessions, a cohort schedule or lab days.

Tuition is $651 per credit through Extended Education, so 30 credits come to $19,530. The program page adds $2,000 for books, $500 for supplies and $70 to apply for graduation, which makes the estimate $22,100.

The How to Apply list also names a $70 application fee. The estimate doesn't appear to include it, so budget for both. The school says all fees are estimates that can change, even after your first payment. The program is eligible for financial aid, and the aid priority date is March 2.

30 credits at $651 a credit comes to $19,530 in tuition, before fees.

The program calls itself 100% online and lets you study full or part time. There are three starts a year. For spring 2027 the priority deadline is October 1, the regular deadline is November 1 and documents are due January 1. Summer priority is February 1 and fall priority is May 1.

Applying takes a Cal State Apply account, transcripts, a statement of purpose, three reference forms and a signed technology contract. Your credits also expire. The program outline says units can't be more than seven years old when the degree is awarded, so a slow capstone still has a limit.

CSU Bakersfield is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The program lists no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation and no exam preparation. CAAHEP is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. CASCE is the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education.

That matters for two rules. From August 15, 2027, candidates for ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP, the exercise physiologist and clinical exercise physiologist credentials, must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program, which a master's can't replace. For general fitness, coaching or wellness work, those rules may never touch you.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

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

• The prerequisite wording is unclear. The requirements list names coursework in several areas, while the footnote asks non-majors for three courses plus one in psychology.
• The finish date is soft. Eighteen months is the school's stated timeline, and it adds that many students take longer.
• The $22,100 estimate leaves out the $70 application fee, and fees can change after you've paid.
• CSU Bakersfield's federal graduation rate is 50%. That covers the whole university, not this program.

• Which of my undergraduate courses satisfy the prerequisites, and is it three courses plus one in psychology or one course in every area?
• Do classes meet live at set times, or can I finish coursework on my own schedule?
• How many hours does the KINE 6170 practicum require, and who arranges the placement if I live far from Bakersfield?
• Which capstone do working students choose most often, and how long does each one take?
• What does part-time mean for the 18-month estimate and the seven-year unit limit?
• Is the $70 application fee separate from the $70 graduation fee in the $22,100 estimate?
• Could the per-credit price change after I start?

CSU Bakersfield is a public university in California's southern San Joaquin Valley serving more than 10,000 students, accredited by WSCUC. Its Department of Kinesiology offers a campus B.S. with Applied Exercise Science, Physical Activity Leadership and Allied Health concentrations, and an online M.S. run through Extended Education.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 87 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 87 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 25 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 25 of 28, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 47 of 50, master's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 22 of 24, master's
• Best for Healthcare Workers Rank 15 of 20, master's
• Best Part-Time Programs Rank 19 of 23, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 71 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in California Rank 4 of 4, master's

Also at California State University, Bakersfield, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (bachelor's, on campus).

• McNeese State University

  Kinesiology, M.S.

  Louisiana Score 41.4

• East Carolina University

  Kinesiology, M.S. (online: Physical Education [pedagogy] concentration)

  North Carolina $1,044.06 per credit Score 41.8

• Salem University

  Master of Science in Health and Human Performance (MSHHP)

  West Virginia $650 per credit Score 41.8

• Logan University

  Master of Science in Sports Science & Rehabilitation (MSSSR)

  Missouri $700 per credit Score 40.8