Calvin University Online Master of Science in Exercise Science (Master of Exercise Science)

Calvin's online Master of Exercise Science gives you a choice between clinical and performance tracks, no GRE and a price of $720 a credit. You take seven core courses and three in your concentration, and you can finish in as little as 12 months or stretch to 25. It fits cardiac rehab staff, strength coaches and physical therapy applicants who want a Christian university. It has no programmatic accreditation.

Calvin University is a private Christian school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church. The master's is run by its School of Health and its School of Graduate and Continuing Studies. The page says it was designed for recent graduates, career changers and working professionals.

Courses were designed mostly by tenured professors and are taught by a mix of full-time and adjunct faculty. A Reformed Christian perspective is built into each course, and the department chair also directs the master's.

Calvin is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor. The master's lists no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation. CASCE is the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education, NSCA's program for degrees.

The page says you'll be prepared for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) and the Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS), all from NSCA. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program, and a master's doesn't change which bachelor's you hold. Candidates for ACSM-CEP, the clinical exercise physiologist credential, face the 2027 CAAHEP rule.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

Who It Fits

• People working in or near cardiac rehab. The Health and Exercise Rehabilitation concentration covers cardiac rehabilitation, clinical exercise physiology, EKG use and administrative procedures, and it includes a clinical placement. One student on the page coaches cross country and works at a cardiac rehab facility while enrolled.
• Strength and conditioning coaches. The Performance and Sport Science concentration covers injury prevention and sport psychology, and Calvin says it prepares you to sit for three credentials from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
• Physical therapy applicants. Calvin lists graduate school candidate as a career path, and one graduate's story says the degree strengthened his Doctor of Physical Therapy application. You can also start with a three-course certificate and stack it into the degree.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone counting on the clinical exercise physiologist credential from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The certificate page says the master's route needs 600 hours instead of 1,200, but no programmatic accreditation is listed. After August 15, 2027, ACSM requires a program accredited by CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
• International students who live in the U.S. The online-only program can't support a U.S. student visa, because those students need six on-campus credits each semester.
• Students who want a secular classroom. Faith shapes every course, and the clinical decision-making training is grounded in a Reformed Christian perspective.

The degree has 10 courses: seven core exercise science courses and three in the concentration you pick. One course the site names is Motor Learning, and a graduate described a project in it where he taught someone a new skill. You can also pursue both concentrations, which would add courses.

Health and Exercise Rehabilitation adds cardiac rehabilitation and clinical exercise physiology. Performance and Sport Science adds injury prevention and sport psychology. Across the degree, Calvin lists EKG interpretation, exercise testing and prescription, data analysis and performance tracking, and an externship or clinical placement under professionals in your chosen field.

Courses the School Names

• Motor Learning

Standout Features

• Two concentrations that can both be pursued: Health and Exercise Rehabilitation (cardiac rehab, clinical exercise physiology, EKG use) and Performance and Sport Science (injury prevention, sport psychology)
• Prepares for three NSCA credentials: CSCS, TSAC-F, CPSS
• Stackable 3-course Cardiac Rehabilitation Graduate Certificate ($5,760 estimated) as onramp
• Faith-based, Reformed Christian perspective in courses

Tuition for 2026-27 is $720 per credit, the same for every student. Textbooks and required materials cost extra.

To get a sense of scale, the three-course Cardiac Rehabilitation Graduate Certificate that leads into the master's is estimated at $5,760, which is 8 credits at $720. The master's adds seven courses beyond that. Calvin offers a limited number of Master's Blessing scholarships to its own alumni, and other program scholarships go through the program director.

The courses are online, and you can study full time or part time. The page says start dates fall in fall or spring, while the graduate admissions page lists six terms: Fall 1 and 2, Spring 1 and 2, and Summer 1 and 2. Deadlines are rolling, and the next is October 5, 2026 for Fall 2.

Applications ask for a resume, a statement of purpose, two recommendation letters and transcripts. Calvin is test-optional for graduate admissions, and this program says no GRE is required.

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

• Calvin doesn't print the master's total credits, so the full tuition can't be added up from the program page.
• The pages disagree about starts. One says fall or spring, another lists six terms.
• The 3.0 GPA figure appears on the certificate page, not on the master's page.
• The clinical placement is arranged for you, and its hours aren't stated, so ask how it fits a full-time job.

• How many credits does the master's total, and what is the full tuition for all 10 courses?
• Which term starts next, and are summer sessions open to new students?
• Does the 3.0 GPA on the certificate page apply to the master's?
• How many hours is the externship, who finds the site, and can I complete it at my current job?
• If I choose both concentrations, how many extra courses and credits does that add?
• Would the master's hours count toward the 600 ACSM asks for, and has Calvin started the CAAHEP process?
• Does prepared for CSCS, TSAC-F and CPSS mean exam-prep coursework or content alignment?

Calvin University is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church. Its online Master of Exercise Science is run through the School of Health and School of Graduate & Continuing Studies and is designed for recent graduates, career changers and working professionals, with a strong pre-PT and clinical exercise track.

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