East Texas Baptist University Online Master of Science in Kinesiology

East Texas Baptist's online M.S. in Kinesiology is one of the cheaper master's degrees on our list at $447 a credit, and you can start in any semester. But it's a broad kinesiology degree with a coaching and sport leadership lean, not a deep exercise physiology program.

It fits coaches, teachers and fitness leaders who want a low-cost graduate credential from a Christ-centered school. It's a weak fit if you need anatomy, physiology or clinical training.

East Texas Baptist University is a small private Baptist school in Marshall, Texas, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Master of Science in Kinesiology is completely online, and the school describes it as a study of human movement from mechanical, physiological, psychological, administrative, behavioral, instructional and professional points of view.

It's 30 credits in 10 courses, and there are no concentrations to pick. You can begin in any semester. ETBU says the coursework prepares you for careers in clinical exercise science, fitness and health promotion, teacher education, sports administration and sport psychology, or for further graduate study.

The 2026-27 rate is $447 per credit hour, so 30 credits is $13,410. Add a $70 online fee for each of the 10 courses, which is $700, and a $75 graduation fee. That's $14,185 before the $330 student fee.

ETBU's page lists the student fee as $330 without saying how often it's charged. If it applies each semester and you finish in three, it would add $990, for about $15,175 all in.

The program page doesn't mention financial aid specific to kinesiology students. Transfer credit is possible if the hours are graduate courses in a related field with a B or higher.

30 credits at $447 a credit comes to $13,410 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You want a master's on a budget. Tuition is a flat $447 per credit hour with no separate out-of-state rate listed, which comes to $13,410 for all 30 credits before fees.
• You coach or lead fitness programs. The sequence includes Coaching Behaviors and Sports Preparation, Sport and Exercise Leadership and Sport and Exercise Psychology.
• You want a faith-based school. ETBU calls itself Christ-centered, and applicants must be in agreement with the university's mission.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want to work in a hospital or clinic as an exercise physiologist. The ten required courses don't include exercise physiology, biomechanics or exercise testing, even though the page names clinical exercise science as a career area.
• Skip it if you want a thesis, internship or hands-on labs in your degree. None is part of the ten-course plan.
• Skip it if you're not comfortable with ETBU's expectations. Admission depends partly on good character, judged by the university, and ETBU can deny admission to someone with a felony or Class A misdemeanor conviction.

The ten courses are KINE 5305 Principles of Advanced Human Performance, KINE 5308 Sport and Exercise Leadership, KINE 5309 Sport and Exercise Nutrition, KINE 5312 Research Methods, KINE 5304 Sport and Exercise Psychology, KINE 5307 Measurement and Evaluation, KINE 5310 Motor Learning and Control, KINE 5301 Current Trends and Issues in Sports and Exercise Settings, KINE 5303 Coaching Behaviors and Sports Preparation and KINE 5302 Sport Management and Marketing.

The human performance course is the closest thing to hands-on science. The catalog describes it as designing, implementing and administering a safe, effective strength and conditioning program, and it recommends, but doesn't require, basic anatomy and physiology first.

Courses the School Names

• KINE 5305 Principles of Advanced Human Performance
• KINE 5309 Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• KINE 5304 Sport and Exercise Psychology
• KINE 5307 Measurement and Evaluation
• KINE 5310 Motor Learning and Control
• KINE 5312 Research Methods
• KINE 5308 Sport and Exercise Leadership
• KINE 5303 Coaching Behaviors and Sport Preparation
• KINE 5301 Current Trends and Issues in Sport and Exercise Settings
• KINE 5302 Sports Management and Marketing

Standout Features

• 10-course 30-credit curriculum spanning advanced human performance, sport and exercise nutrition, sport and exercise psychology, motor learning and control, measurement and evaluation, and coaching behaviors
• Christ-centered university; online programs pitched to people who want coursework at a Christ-centered university
• Flat $447 per credit hour master's rate with no residency or out-of-state surcharge listed

Everything is online, and courses are split into full-term and flex-term sessions. Each course appears once in the rotation. Fall has KINE 5305 in the full term, then 5308 and 5309 in the flex terms. Spring has 5312, then 5304 and 5307. Summer has four: 5310 and 5301 in Flex Term I, then 5303 and 5302 in Flex Term II.

That schedule fits all ten courses into three semesters, so the fastest path is roughly a year. You have five years from your start date to finish. You need a C or higher in every course and a 2.75 GPA, and a D or F in any one class can get you dismissed.

SACSCOC accredits ETBU. The kinesiology master's has no programmatic accreditation listed, and no certification exam is named. That's typical for a broad kinesiology degree, but it means you shouldn't count on the degree alone to qualify you for the CSCS or ACSM credentials.

The NSCA rule starting January 1, 2030 is about your bachelor's degree: U.S. CSCS candidates need one from a CASCE-accredited program. ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program starting August 15, 2027. ETBU doesn't list this master's on either accreditor's list, so check your bachelor's instead. If you're aiming at either credential, ask an advisor how the master's fits.

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 description promises more than the plan delivers. The page names clinical exercise science and exercise physiology as directions, but the required courses have no exercise physiology class.
• The degree leans toward sport management. One of the ten courses is Sport Management and Marketing, and two more cover leadership and current trends.
• There's no practicum in the plan. The catalog lists a 150-hour practicum, KINE 5306, but it isn't one of the ten courses, and permission is required.
• Fees add up. The $70 online fee is charged per course, and the student fee isn't clear about how often it applies.

• Is the $330 student fee charged each semester or once?
• Can I take the KINE 5306 practicum in place of an elective, and what does the required faculty permission involve?
• If I start in spring, in what order will I take the courses, and how many months will the degree take?
• Do any of the courses require live sessions, proctored exams or in-person visits?
• Which graduate courses would you accept in transfer, and is there a maximum number of credits?
• How does the program prepare someone for clinical exercise science when it has no exercise physiology course?
• What do graduates of the program do now, and can I speak to one of them?

East Texas Baptist University is a small private Baptist university in Marshall, Texas. Its Department of Kinesiology offers on-campus athletic training, rehabilitative science and wellness management bachelor's degrees and a fully online M.S. in Kinesiology.

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• The University of Texas at Tyler

  Master of Science in Kinesiology

  Texas Score 48.2

• University of North Carolina at Greensboro

  Master of Science in Kinesiology, Sport and Exercise Psychology Concentration (Online)

  North Carolina $660.37 per credit Score 47.5

• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

  Applied Kinesiology (M.S.)

  Wisconsin $1,280.77 per credit Score 47.4

• A T Still University of Health Sciences

  Master of Science in Athletic Training (post-professional)

  Missouri $690 per credit Score 47.2