Grand Canyon University Online Master of Science in Exercise Physiology

Grand Canyon's online M.S. in Exercise Physiology is built like a clinical exercise physiology degree. It has 34 credits, 8-week courses, ECG interpretation, cardiopulmonary rehab prescription and a 600-hour practicum, which matches the hours ACSM asks for on its master's route to the clinical credential.

But none of GCU's pages list CAAHEP accreditation, and ACSM requires it from August 15, 2027. Choose it only after admissions tells you where the accreditation process stands.

Grand Canyon University is a large Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona, and federal data lists it as private for-profit. Its College of Natural Sciences offers this master's fully online. The program page says you'll study exercise science, nutrition and therapeutic intervention, and it names hospitals, rehabilitation centers, fitness facilities and research institutions as places graduates work.

Admission needs a bachelor's from an accredited school with a GPA of 2.8 or higher. If your unweighted GPA is 2.5 or higher, you can qualify with a GMAT of 500 or a combined GRE of 300, so test scores only matter in that middle band. Faculty include Dr. Zachary Zeigler, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Courses run 8 weeks and are delivered online. The program page describes a community-driven environment where you engage with peers and faculty, and GCU says online learning offers the same quality as on-campus learning.

Online applies to the coursework. The 600 practicum hours happen in a real setting. If each practicum course runs the standard 8 weeks, 300 hours works out to 37.5 hours a week, which is close to a full-time job. Plan your work schedule and your site with an advisor before you enroll.

Who It Fits

• You work in rehab, a hospital or a wellness setting and need supervised clinical hours. The practicum is built into the curriculum through two courses, and our healthcare worker list shows other options.
• You want the clinical content, not just general exercise science. The coursework covers 12-lead ECG interpretation, exercise testing under ACSM's guidelines and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.
• You're in the active-duty military, reserve, National Guard or a military spouse. GCU lists an effective rate of $400 per credit after scholarship.
• You want a Christian university. GCU states its Christian identity and mission on its site, and our Christian programs list shows the other options.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you need certainty about the ACSM clinical exercise physiologist route after August 15, 2027. GCU's pages don't list CAAHEP accreditation, and the program didn't match the CAAHEP list we checked on September 29, 2026.
• Skip it if you can't commit to 600 practicum hours. They're required, and they're on top of your coursework.
• Skip it if price is your first filter. At $610 a credit, it's worth comparing with our cheapest online exercise science degrees first.

The 34 credits are a 2-credit orientation plus eight 4-credit courses. UNV-507 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Science, Engineering and Technology is the orientation. EXS-520 Exercise Research Methods teaches you to critique studies, use statistical software and develop a research proposal. EXS-530 Clinical Exercise Physiology covers the disease processes you'd meet in a clinical setting.

EXS-540 Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physiology includes 12-lead ECG interpretation. EXS-610 Advanced Exercise Testing and Health Risk Appraisal uses ACSM's guidelines and is aimed at the clinical exercise physiologist role. EXS-620 Advanced Exercise Prescription Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation requires EXS-610. EXS-660 Theory of Behavior Change and Health Promotion covers the habits side.

EXS-690 and EXS-695, both titled Clinician Exercise Physiology Experience, carry 300 practicum hours each, and EXS-695 is the capstone. EXS-690's catalog description talks about a research thesis, which doesn't match the program page's research proposal, so ask what you'll hand in.

Courses the School Names

• Exercise Research Methods (EXS-520)
• Clinical Exercise Physiology (EXS-530)
• Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physiology (EXS-540)
• Advanced Exercise Testing and Health Risk Appraisal (EXS-610)
• Advanced Exercise Prescription Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation (EXS-620)
• Theory of Behavior Change and Health Promotion (EXS-660)
• Clinician Exercise Physiology Experience I (EXS-690)
• Clinician Exercise Physiology Experience II (EXS-695)

Standout Features

• Clinical exercise physiology emphasis: coursework includes 12-lead ECG interpretation, ACSM-guideline exercise testing and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation prescription, and prepares students 'for the role of clinical exercise physiologist'.
• 600-hour required practicum built into the curriculum via two Clinician Exercise Physiology Experience courses.
• Program faculty member Dr. Zachary Zeigler is an ACSM fellow; GCU describes itself as an 'exercise is medicine' campus.

GCU's 2026-27 online graduate rate for programs outside education, business, nursing and a few others is $610 per credit. For 34 credits that's $20,740. Active-duty, active reserve, National Guard and military spouse students pay an effective $400 per credit after scholarship, which is $13,600.

Transfer credit is capped at 12 credits or one-third of the program, whichever is less. One-third of 34 credits is about 11, so plan on no more than that. GCU's fee page lists a $115 technology fee per semester and a $50 one-time registration deposit for new students without saying which apply to online master's students, so ask for the full amount.

34 credits at $610 a credit comes to $20,740 in tuition, before fees.

GCU has been institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1968. The program itself lists no programmatic accreditation.

That matters because ACSM changes its rules on August 15, 2027. ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited Exercise Science or Exercise Physiology program, or one that has started the CAAHEP process. ACSM's master's route to the clinical credential (ACSM-CEP) asks for 600 hours of hands-on clinical experience, which GCU's practicum matches on paper. Whether ACSM accepts your hours depends on how they're documented.

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

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

• No programmatic accreditation is listed, even though the coursework says it prepares you for the role of clinical exercise physiologist, and ACSM's 2027 rule turns on CAAHEP.
• The practicum is heavy. Six hundred hours is a lot to fit around a full-time job.
• GCU's own pages disagree about the research work. The program page mentions a research proposal, and EXS-690's catalog description mentions a research thesis.
• GCU's federal graduation rate is 43 percent. It covers the whole university, but it's the only outcome number we have.

• Has this program started the CAAHEP accreditation process, either through a formal inquiry or a Request for Accreditation Services?
• Will my 600 hours count as hands-on clinical experience for the ACSM-CEP, and how do you document them?
• Do I find my own practicum site, or does GCU place me and approve sites?
• What do I submit in EXS-690, a practicum log or a research thesis?
• Which fees apply to me, including the $115 technology fee per semester and the $50 registration deposit?
• How many transfer credits will you accept under the one-third cap, and can prior clinical work shorten the practicum?
• How many courses can I take at once, and how long does the degree take at that pace?

Grand Canyon University is a large Phoenix-based Christian university with a big online division. Its College of Natural Sciences runs campus-based B.S. Exercise Science emphases and a fully online M.S. in Exercise Physiology.

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