Hardin-Simmons University Online Master of Science in Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation (Exercise Science and Human Performance Concentration)

This is a 30-credit, $595-a-credit online master's for people who already work in fitness or coaching, with $17,850 in tuition. Only its Exercise Science and Human Performance track is real exercise science. The pages also disagree on NSCA recognition and on internships, so get both answers in writing before you enroll.

Hardin-Simmons University is a private school in Abilene, Texas, with Baptist roots, and it teaches this degree completely online. The catalog lists four routes: Exercise Science and Human Performance, Recreation and Sport Administration, Sport Coaching (added in fall 2023) and a multidisciplinary option with no concentration. The program page mentions only the first two, so don't be surprised when you see four.

Program director Dr. Lindsay Spindler holds a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Houston and belongs to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The school says every faculty member has a terminal degree and professional certifications. Applying takes a bachelor's degree, a 2.75 GPA (or 3.0 over your last 60 credits), a resume, three recommendation letters, a goals statement and an interview with the director.

The program page says the Exercise Science and Human Performance concentration is recognized by the NSCA Education Recognition Program. The 2026-27 catalog says recognition is pending acceptance of the school's application. Those aren't the same claim. NSCA now handles program recognition through CASCE, so ask which one applies.

Most important for planning: your bachelor's, not this master's, decides your CSCS eligibility after 2029. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. The ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP rule of August 15, 2027 works the same way and asks for a CAAHEP-accredited program.

The school says the concentration prepares you to sit for the CSCS exam, and as coursework that's fair.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Fitness and coaching professionals who are already employed. The program page says most students already work in health and fitness, and the courses are meant to apply to that work.
• Strength and conditioning coaches watching their budget. At $595 per credit the price is easy to plan around. Compare it against other online strength and conditioning degrees before you decide.
• Students who may go on to physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic or athletic training. The school lists those as common next steps, but it doesn't map prerequisites, so check each target program's course list yourself.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs a degree from a CAAHEP- or CASCE-accredited program. Neither accreditation is stated here, and the school isn't among the 69 CASCE listings we pulled on September 29, 2026.
• Students who want a clinical track. The coursework centers on performance, coaching and sport. If cardiac rehab or exercise testing is your goal, look at clinical exercise physiology master's programs.
• Anyone who wants a guaranteed internship. The catalog's curriculum lists no internship course.

Everyone takes 6 core credits in Evidence Based Research in Sport and Recreation and Research Methods and Statistical Analysis. The other 24 are electives. In the Exercise Science and Human Performance track you choose from Advanced Exercise Physiology, Advanced Strength and Conditioning, Training for Fitness and Performance, Exercise and Sport Psychology and Counseling, Sport Performance Enhancement, Biomechanical Analysis and Sport and Exercise Nutrition.

The other tracks swap in sport law, facilities design, program finance and athletics administration. At least 50% of your credits must be 6000-level courses.

Here's a detail that affects your timeline. Each elective runs once a year on a fixed rotation. Advanced Exercise Physiology sits in the second fall session, Advanced Strength and Conditioning in the first spring session and Biomechanical Analysis in the second summer session. Where you start decides how fast you finish.

Courses the School Names

• Advanced Exercise Physiology
• Advanced Strength and Conditioning
• Training for Fitness and Performance
• Sport Performance Enhancement
• Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• Biomechanical Analysis
• Exercise and Sport Psychology/Counseling
• Research Methods and Statistical Analysis
• Evidence Based Research in Sport and Recreation

Standout Features

• Exercise Science and Human Performance concentration is recognized by the NSCA Education Recognition Program.
• Four tracks including a Sport Coaching concentration added Fall 2023, plus a multidisciplinary option with 24 elective hours.
• Director Dr. Lindsay Spindler (Ph.D. Kinesiology, University of Houston) is an ACSM member; faculty research interests include strength and conditioning and human performance.

Tuition is $595 per credit, so 30 credits comes to $17,850. Hardin-Simmons's tuition page confirms $595 for all online-only graduate programs in both 2026-27 and 2025-26. General fees are billed separately each semester, and the KSPR pages don't say how they scale for part-time loads.

Full time here means 6 credits a semester. Three credits still counts as half time for federal aid in fall or spring, and 3 credits in either summer session qualifies you for aid.

For comparison, Jacksonville State's online M.S.Ed. in human performance costs $13,290 in tuition for the same 30 credits.

30 credits at $595 a credit comes to $17,850 in tuition, before fees.

Fall and spring each hold two 8-week sessions, and summer holds two 7-week sessions. Entry is rolling, so you can start at several points in the year. The school says you can finish in as little as one year and that the average is about 1.5 years.

The one-year pace is tight. It works out to 10 credits in each of three semesters, so if you're working, plan on the 1.5-year average.

In your last semester you take a comprehensive exam and sit an exit interview. You need 80% or higher on the exam, a 3.0 GPA and no grade of D in any course. If you're admitted provisionally, you're limited to one course per 8-week session until you reach a 3.0.

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

• NSCA recognition is described two ways, as recognized on the program page and as pending in the catalog.
• The school says 100% of graduates completed an internship, but the catalog's curriculum has no internship or practicum course, and no hours are stated.
• Each concentration course runs once a year, so your start term shapes how fast you can finish.
• One degree spans sport management, coaching and exercise science, so the title alone won't tell an employer which track you took. The university's federal graduation rate is 46 percent.

• Has NSCA accepted your recognition application, and does it now run through CASCE?
• Is an internship or Applied Professional Experience course required, and how many hours and which course code?
• If I start in the term I'm considering, in what order would I take the concentration courses?
• What general fee applies each semester at 6 credits, and are there any course or exam fees?
• How does the comprehensive exam work, and can I retake it if I score under 80%?
• Can I be admitted provisionally with a GPA under 2.75, and what does that cap mean for my timeline?

Hardin-Simmons is a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas with a College of Health Professions. Its School of Kinesiology, Health and Recreation offers an online M.S. in Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation and an online-hybrid Master of Athletic Training.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 41 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 41 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 10 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 10 of 28, master's
• Best Online Strength and Conditioning Degrees Rank 25 of 39, master's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 20 of 46, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 24 of 50, master's
• Best for Coaches Rank 20 of 43, master's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 8 of 12, master's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 5 of 7, master's
• Best Christian Programs Rank 14 of 27, master's
• Best Certification-Ready Programs Rank 13 of 13, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 33 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in Texas Rank 5 of 12, master's

• Master of Athletic Training (M.A.T.)

  M.A.T., Master's

  Online With Campus Requirements $595 per credit Score 44.9

• Lander University

  Master of Science in Exercise Science

  South Carolina $545 per credit Score 56.8

• Calvin University

  Master of Science in Exercise Science (Master of Exercise Science)

  Michigan $720 per credit Score 57.0

• University of Louisiana at Monroe

  Master of Science in Exercise Science (Sport Management Concentration)

  Louisiana $500 per credit Score 56.4

• Fort Hays State University

  Master of Science in Health and Human Performance (online)

  Kansas $362.73 per credit Score 57.4