Corban University Online Master of Science in Kinesiology (MSK)

Corban's online M.S. in Kinesiology is a strength-and-conditioning-flavored master's you can finish in as few as 12 months, and it prepares you for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. It's brand new, and admission requires a profession of Christian faith. At $27,000 for 36 credits, it suits coaches and trainers who share the school's faith, not anyone chasing a clinical credential.

Corban University is a small private university in Salem, Oregon, with Baptist roots. It launched this fully online master's in Fall 2026, so the first cohort is still in its first year.

You take 12 three-credit courses: movement science, motor learning, performance psychology, performance nutrition, advanced exercise physiology, research methods, two strength and conditioning courses, two corrective exercise courses, exercise and chronic disease, and an internship or research project. Admission asks for a bachelor's or master's from an accredited school, plus a 3.0 GPA or one to two years of full-time work.

The program is entirely online, and the 12-month pace means two eight-week courses at a time. You start in August or January. Your admissions counselor sets up your account in Populi, Corban's learning platform, before classes begin.

The school's pages give two different deadlines. The admissions page says your application must be complete two weeks before class starts, and the information packet says at least four weeks. Plan for four. Three faculty members are featured on the program page: two kinesiology professors and a biology professor who chairs the School of Math and Sciences.

Who It Fits

• Strength coaches and trainers who want a master's behind their CSCS. Essentials of Strength and Conditioning is built to prepare you for the exam, Program Design for Strength and Conditioning builds on it, and two corrective exercise courses support the National Academy of Sports Medicine's Corrective Exercise Specialist credential.
• Working professionals who want a fast pace. Two eight-week courses per session gets you to 12 months, and you can stretch to 24 months and stay eligible for federal aid.
• Christians who want faith woven through the coursework. Corban says a biblical perspective runs through every course, and applicants name a Christian character reference.
• Military members, alumni and ministry staff. Corban lists tuition discounts for military members and veterans, alumni, parents of Corban students, partner network churches, and nonprofit or ministry employees.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who doesn't share the school's faith commitment. Applicants must profess faith in Jesus Christ and live a consistent Christian lifestyle, so this isn't a neutral fit.
• Students who want the clinical exercise physiology route. The catalog lists clinical exercise physiologist as a career, but the program has one exercise-and-disease course and no programmatic accreditation. See our clinical exercise physiology master's programs.
• People who want a track record. The first cohort started in Fall 2026, so there are no graduate outcomes to check. Compare online kinesiology master's programs if that worries you.

Corban's information packet lists KIN511 Human Movement Science, KIN515 Motor Learning, KIN520 Performance Psychology, KIN541 Performance Nutrition, KIN561 Advanced Exercise Physiology, KIN563 Advanced Research Methods, KIN611 and KIN612 on strength and conditioning, KIN621 and KIN622 on corrective exercise, KIN635 Exercise and Chronic Disease, and KIN683 Internship/Research Project.

The descriptions are practical. KIN541 covers nutrient timing and sample sport nutrition plans. KIN635 covers obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma and neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. In KIN563 you outline a research proposal. KIN683 lets you pick a mentored research project or supervised on-the-job placement.

The documents don't fully agree. The packet numbers performance psychology KIN520 but describes it as KIN573, and the catalog's requirements list shows 11 courses and skips KIN621, though it describes that course.

Courses the School Names

• KIN511 Human Movement Science
• KIN515 Motor Learning
• KIN541 Performance Nutrition
• KIN561 Advanced Exercise Physiology
• KIN563 Advanced Research Methods
• KIN520 Performance Psychology
• KIN611 Essentials of Strength and Conditioning
• KIN612 Program Design for Strength and Conditioning
• KIN621 Techniques & Assessments in Corrective Exercise
• KIN635 Exercise and Chronic Disease
• KIN622 Corrective Exercise - Strategies & Applications
• KIN683 Internship/Research Project

Standout Features

• Two-course corrective exercise sequence aligned with the NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist credential
• Faith-integrated, Christ-centered academic environment; admission requires profession of faith
• New program: launched Fall 2026

Tuition is $750 per credit for 36 credits, or $27,000, on both the program page and the information packet. You'll also pay a $75 technology fee each semester, a $200 graduation fee, and course fees when a class has materials. The $200 tuition deposit is applied to your tuition.

Corban's federal cost of attendance estimates $1,216 for books, course materials, supplies and equipment, which isn't paid to Corban. If you stretch the degree to 24 months, you'll pay more technology fees, because they come every semester.

36 credits at $750 a credit comes to $27,000 in tuition, before fees.

Corban is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The program has no programmatic accreditation and isn't on the CAAHEP list (the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) we pulled on September 29, 2026.

Corban says the courses prepare you for the CSCS exam and support the corrective exercise credential, but the degree doesn't award either one. You register and pay for each exam separately.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association's 2030 rule about accredited bachelor's programs is about the degree you already hold, not this master's. Clinical exercise physiologist appears in the catalog's career list, but the American College of Sports Medicine will require a CAAHEP program for its clinical exam from August 15, 2027, and Corban lists none.

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.

• It's brand new. The first cohort started in Fall 2026, so there are no outcomes, pass rates or alumni reviews yet.
• Corban's documents conflict on course numbers, the count of required courses and the application deadline. Verify your plan of study before you pay a deposit.
• Admission depends on a statement of faith and a Christian character reference.
• Corban's federal graduation rate is 61 percent across the whole university, and this program has no numbers of its own.

• Which courses make up the required 36 credits, and is KIN621 part of my plan?
• What are the military and veteran discount amounts, and do they combine with employer tuition help?
• Does any class meet live, or is every course asynchronous?
• How many hours does KIN683 require, and should I use my current job for the internship or choose the research project?
• Are January applications still open, and is the true deadline two weeks or four?
• Do the CSCS exam fee and the corrective exercise credential fee come with tuition?

Corban University is a small private Christian university in Salem, Oregon with 1,136 total students in 2025-26, accredited by NWCCU. It added a fully online M.S. in Kinesiology in Fall 2026; its on-campus kinesiology bachelor's leads graduates to NASM certification.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 54 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 54 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 12 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 12 of 28, master's
• Best Online Strength and Conditioning Degrees Rank 30 of 39, master's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 24 of 46, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 34 of 35, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 32 of 50, master's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 24 of 32, master's
• Best Christian Programs Rank 17 of 27, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 43 of 78, master's

Also at Corban University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Kinesiology Major (B.S.) (bachelor's, on campus).

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• University of Southern Mississippi

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• University of Connecticut

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