Franklin University Online M.S. in Exercise Science, Clinical Exercise Physiology Specialization

Franklin's online M.S. with a clinical exercise physiology specialization is aimed at people who want to work with patients. It has real clinical content, including ECG monitoring, pharmacology and a two-course disease sequence, costs $690 per credit, takes as few as 16 months and needs no GRE. The open question is accreditation. CAAHEP lists the master's at Letter of Review, which Franklin's own pages never mention.

Franklin University is a private nonprofit school in Columbus, Ohio, and this is one of its two online M.S. in Exercise Science specializations. The other is strength and conditioning. Franklin says the curriculum is aligned with the ACSM-CEP, the ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist credential, and that working exercise physiologists teach the classes.

The degree is 32 credits and eight courses of four credits each. Admission asks for a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an accredited school and a 2.50 GPA. If you land between 2.250 and 2.499, you're admitted conditionally and must earn a B in your first graduate course. There are no program prerequisites and no GMAT or GRE.

Availability varies by state, and some states are employer partnerships only.

Franklin is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. CAAHEP's public list includes Franklin's Master of Science in Exercise Science under exercise physiology with Letter of Review status, meaning not yet accredited. ACSM says that from August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has initiated the process through a formal inquiry or a Request for Accreditation Services.

So the question is whether Franklin's filing counts. Ask for the paperwork. The ACSM-CEP route with a master's also asks for 600 hands-on clinical hours, and Franklin's page doesn't say how many the capstone provides. Franklin says graduates are prepared to sit for the ACSM-CEP exam, so get that confirmed in writing.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Physiologist Careers, ACSM Exercise Physiologist Certification.

Who It Fits

• People already working in cardiac or pulmonary rehab, sports medicine or long-term care. Franklin says the program is designed for them, and the coursework applies directly to designing and monitoring programs for patients with chronic cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic disease.
• Career changers with a bachelor's in something else. Franklin lists no program prerequisites, so you can apply without a science major. Expect to learn physiology fast, since EXS 601 covers organ systems from muscle to hormones.
• Current service members. The rate is $536 per credit instead of $690, so 32 credits cost $17,152.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone whose employer or state requires a fully accredited program today. CAAHEP's list shows this master's at Letter of Review, not accredited. Compare the online clinical exercise physiology master's programs that hold full accreditation.
• Anyone who plans around a fixed start month. The program page lists January, May and August starts, while the FAQ says two starts a year, so pin down which is true.
• Anyone who wants a research thesis. The program page lists a capstone built around a clinical or strength and conditioning experience, not a thesis.

Five courses are required for everyone. EXS 601 Exercise Physiology: Systems and Functions, EXS 602 Exercise Programming Design and Implementation, EXS 665 Behavioral Strategies for Health and Sport Performance, EXS 670 Nutrition for Health and Exercise Performance and the EXS 690 Capstone. Clinical exercise physiology adds three more.

EXS 660 and EXS 663 form a two-semester sequence on exercise prescription for people with chronic disease. In them you learn client intake, exercise test administration and interpretation, ECG placement, and reading ECG tracings for rhythm abnormalities during rest and exercise. EXS 663 also covers how to spot, cue, progress and regress exercises for clinical populations.

EXS 645 Foundations of Pharmacology for the Exercise Scientist teaches pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and major drug classes, plus how drugs and exercise interact. In the capstone, you work with industry professionals in a practical clinical experience.

Courses the School Names

• EXS 601 Exercise Physiology: Systems and Functions
• EXS 602 Exercise Programming Design and Implementation
• EXS 660 Clinical Exercise Physiology and Pathophysiology I
• EXS 663 Clinical Exercise Physiology and Pathophysiology II
• EXS 645 Foundations of Pharmacology for the Exercise Scientist
• EXS 665 Behavioral Strategies for Health and Sport Performance
• EXS 670 Nutrition for Health and Exercise Performance
• EXS 690 Capstone

Standout Features

• Curriculum aligned with ACSM knowledge domains and the ACSM-CEP certification
• Includes a dedicated pharmacology course for exercise scientists (EXS 645) and a two-semester clinical exercise physiology and pathophysiology sequence
• Classes taught by working exercise physiologists

Standard tuition is $690 per credit for 2026-27, so the 32 credits come to $22,080, or $2,760 per four-credit course. Franklin adds a $100 resource fee each semester. Its tuition guarantee locks your first-term rate as long as you stay actively enrolled, so a rate increase won't change your bill.

The program page labels $22,080 as the total after a partner discount, but that's exactly 32 times $690. Check whether your employer or a professional organization gets a lower price. Current service members pay $536 per credit, which is $17,152 in all. Franklin also requires that at least 20 of the 32 credits are completed at Franklin.

32 credits at $690 a credit comes to $22,080 in tuition, before fees.

Franklin says the coursework is asynchronous and delivered 100% online in 12-week classes, and you can finish in as few as 16 months. Instructors are working exercise physiologists. The school describes the program as built for working professionals.

Start dates on the program page are January 4, May 17 and August 16 of 2027, and January 3, 2028. Register by about ten days before each start. The hands-on piece is the clinical internship inside EXS 690, which pairs you with qualified industry professionals. Franklin says students work them for the number of hours required by the chosen specialty, but it doesn't publish that number on the page.

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

• Franklin's pages disagree on start dates. The program page lists three starts a year, and its FAQ says two, fall and spring.
• The capstone's clinical hours aren't published, so you can't compare them against ACSM's 600-hour master's route.
• The tuition figure is labeled as a partner discount price when it's the standard price, which makes the cost harder to trust.
• The specialization's clinical courses total 12 of the 32 credits, and every class is online. Ask how ECG placement is taught and practiced at home.
• Program availability depends on your state, and in some states you need an employer partnership.

• Has Franklin filed a Request for Accreditation Services with CAAHEP, and will ACSM accept it for my exam date?
• How many clinical hours does the EXS 690 practical experience include, and who arranges the site?
• Do you start three times a year or twice?
• How are ECG placement and monitoring skills taught and checked in an online course?
• Is the program available in my state, or do I need an employer partnership?
• What GPA and first-course grade rules apply if my bachelor's GPA is under 2.50?
• Does a partner or employer discount apply, and how does it work with the tuition guarantee?

Franklin is a private nonprofit university in Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1902, that says it was built for adult learners; nearly 80% of students take online courses. It offers an online B.S. in Exercise Science and two online M.S. in Exercise Science specializations.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 79 of 99, master's
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• Best Clinical Exercise Physiology Master's Rank 14 of 15, master's
• Best Online Strength and Conditioning Degrees Rank 35 of 39, master's
• No-GRE Online Master's Programs Rank 35 of 44, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 20 of 35, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 44 of 50, master's
• Best for Healthcare Workers Rank 14 of 20, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 64 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in Ohio Rank 3 of 5, master's

• B.S. in Exercise Science

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $398 per credit Score 55.1

• M.S. in Exercise Science, Strength & Conditioning Specialization

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $690 per credit Score 44.5

• Western Michigan University

  Exercise Science, MS

  Michigan $868.04 per credit Score 43.3

• Lasell University

  Master of Science in Applied Sports Science Analytics

  Massachusetts $756 per credit Score 42.8

• University of Arkansas at Monticello

  Master of Physical Education and Coaching (M.P.E.C.)

  Arkansas $556 per credit Score 42.6

• East Texas A&M University

  Master of Science in Health, Kinesiology & Sports Studies, Sports Coaching Emphasis

  Texas Score 42.5