Lasell University Online Master of Science in Applied Sports Science Analytics

Lasell's online M.S. in Applied Sports Science Analytics is half exercise science and half data science. You'll learn Python, R, machine learning and visualization to work with athlete performance data, then finish with a research capstone. It costs $756 per credit, $27,216 for 36 credits, starts six times a year and needs no GRE. It isn't a clinical degree, a certification path or a general exercise science master's.

Lasell University is a private university in Newton, Massachusetts, accredited by NECHE, the New England Commission of Higher Education. Its School of Health Sciences has a CAAHEP-accredited exercise science major on campus, but this master's sits outside that accreditation. The program page says the curriculum was created with input from sport science professionals working with professional teams and device makers, and an advisory board of practitioners supports it.

Students learn to collect, analyze and present performance data for athletes, coaches, sports medicine staff and front offices. The page lists careers like athletic data analytics, performance management, strength and conditioning, talent development and director of high performance. You need a bachelor's degree and a college statistics course, which you can meet with Khan Academy's college statistics course before your first class.

Lasell offers the degree 100% online or in an on-campus blended format, and it uses rolling admission with six start terms a year. You take twelve courses of three credits each. Expect coding assignments in Python and R, visualization projects and a final research paper rather than clinical labs or proctored skills checks.

The program page says 12 to 24 months, while Lasell's graduate programs page says 12 to 18 months. Plan on the longer number if you work full time. The capstone follows Lasell's Connected Learning approach, which asks you to test ideas in a real-world setting on a problem of practice.

Who It Fits

• Coaches and sport scientists who already handle athlete data and want to do more with it. DSCI704 Data Analytics covers Python and machine learning, and EXSC702 Sports Performance Analysis applies statistical learning to sport datasets, so the work maps onto what a performance department does.
• Part-time students who want choices on start dates. Lasell begins terms in January, March, May, July, September and October, and the program page says you can finish in 12 to 24 months.
• Applicants who'd rather skip the GRE. Lasell asks for an online application, transcripts, a one-page personal statement and a resume. No GMAT or GRE scores are required, and the graduate programs page lists no application fee and a 48-hour admission decision.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants clinical exercise physiology. There are no labs, clinical hours or ECG courses here. For ACSM's Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification, ACSM-CEP, look at online clinical exercise physiology master's programs.
• Anyone who wants a general exercise science master's. Of the ten courses the program page names, four are data science courses, and EXSC702 builds on them. Compare online master's programs in exercise science first.
• Students who dislike coding. Python, R and interactive visualization projects are core work, not electives.
• International students who need an F-1 visa. Lasell says the program isn't F-1 eligible, and international applicants can only be considered for the online option.

Lasell shows ten three-credit courses on the program page, plus two electives. The exercise science side is EXSC701 High Performance Science, EXSC705 Advanced Strength and Conditioning and RSCI701 Advance Kinesiology and Biomechanics. The first covers evidence-based planning for athletes, the second training prescription for anyone who prescribes exercise, and the third joint structure, gait and biomechanics.

The data side is DSCI704 Data Analytics, DSCI705 Visualization Design, Analysis, and Evaluation, DSCI706 Applied Data Analytics with R and DSCI701 Ethical, Social and Cultural Implications of Data. That last course looks at algorithmic bias and how to communicate data accurately in sport. DSCI704 is a prerequisite for DSCI705 and EXSC702, so it comes early.

RSCI780 Quantitative & Qualitative Research leads into RSCI781 Capstone, a research project taken in your final semester. Lasell's catalog also lists EXSC703 Applied Anatomy as a core course and says you must earn a B- or better to receive credit.

Courses the School Names

• EXSC701 High Performance Science
• EXSC702 Sports Performance Analysis
• EXSC705 Advanced Strength and Conditioning
• DSCI704 Data Analytics
• DSCI705 Visualization Design, Analysis, and Evaluation
• DSCI706 Applied Data Analytics with R
• DSCI701 Ethical, Social and Cultural Implications of Data
• RSCI701 Advance Kinesiology and Biomechanics
• RSCI780 Quantitative & Qualitative Research
• RSCI781 Capstone

Standout Features

• Blends exercise science, statistics and data science: Python, machine learning, R, interactive visualization for athlete performance data
• Curriculum created with input from sport science professionals working with professional athletic teams and sport science device manufacturers
• Advisory board of sport science practitioners
• Six start terms a year (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Oct)

Lasell's 2026-27 graduate rate is $756 per credit, and 36 credits come to $27,216. There's no separate out-of-state rate, and course fees such as books vary. The graduate programs page advertises tuition starting under $26,000, which is a starting price across programs. This one runs higher.

Graduates with a 3.2 GPA or higher are automatically considered for a $2,000 or $4,000 scholarship at most Lasell graduate programs. The wording says graduates, so ask whether it covers you if you didn't earn your bachelor's at Lasell. Lasell calls itself a Military Friendly Institution but lists no military rate.

36 credits at $756 a credit comes to $27,216 in tuition, before fees.

NECHE accredits Lasell, and the master's carries no programmatic accreditation and names no certification. The rules that matter for exercise science credentials are ACSM's CAAHEP requirement from August 15, 2027 and NSCA's CASCE requirement for the CSCS from January 1, 2030. Both concern the bachelor's or exercise physiology master's you earn to sit for those exams.

This degree doesn't stand in for either. If you already hold a qualifying degree and a certification, it adds analytics skills on top. If you're starting from scratch, build the credential first, then decide whether analytics is your next step.

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 narrow. If you want to work with patients or sit for the ACSM-EP, ACSM-CEP or CSCS, this degree adds nothing toward those requirements.
• The career section leans on decade-old statistician projections instead of sport science job data, so you'll be judging the job market yourself.
• Lasell's pages disagree on time and price. The program page says 12 to 24 months, the graduate programs page says 12 to 18, and the banner of tuition starting under $26,000 sits beside a $27,216 total for this degree.
• The catalog lists EXSC703 Applied Anatomy as core, but the program page doesn't mention it and says two electives. The course list you'll actually take may differ from the one you read.
• Lasell's federal graduation rate is 59 percent. That covers the whole university, not this master's.

• Is EXSC703 Applied Anatomy required, and how many electives will I take?
• How long is each term, and are classes live or asynchronous?
• Is the finish time 12 to 24 months or 12 to 18 months, and what pace does each assume?
• Does the $105 per semester comprehensive fee on the tuition page apply to this program?
• Does the $2,000 or $4,000 scholarship apply if I didn't graduate from Lasell?
• Can my capstone use data from my own team or employer?
• What jobs have recent graduates reported, and who from the advisory board works with students?

Private university in Newton, MA (site cites history 'since 1851') with a Connected Learning philosophy. Its School of Health Sciences has a CAAHEP-accredited on-campus exercise science major and a fully online M.S. in Applied Sports Science Analytics.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 81 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 81 of 99, master's
• Best Online Sport Science Degrees Rank 13 of 17, master's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 29 of 46, master's
• No-GRE Online Master's Programs Rank 37 of 44, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 45 of 50, master's
• Best for Coaches Rank 34 of 43, master's
• Best Part-Time Programs Rank 18 of 23, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 66 of 78, master's

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

• 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

• Western Michigan University

  Exercise Science, MS

  Michigan $868.04 per credit Score 43.3

• Franklin University

  M.S. in Exercise Science, Clinical Exercise Physiology Specialization

  Ohio $690 per credit Score 43.4