Lindenwood University Online Strength and Conditioning, MS

Lindenwood's Master of Science in Strength and Conditioning is a blended degree, not an online one. Most of it happens on your computer, but two courses bring you to St. Charles, Missouri, for at least a weekend of hands-on lab testing. It suits coaches and trainers within driving distance who want a thesis or internship. The price is murky, because two Lindenwood pages list different rates.

Lindenwood University is an independent private university in St. Charles, Missouri. This master's is 33 credits: 27 in nine major courses and 6 in a culminating thesis or internship track. Lindenwood expects a background in exercise science or a related field. To apply, you send transcripts showing a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

The program page says a typical student finishes in two years, with multiple start dates each year. If you transfer in nine credits, you can complete the degree in as few as 24. The page labels the format 'Blended' and 'Online Program with In-Person Lab Requirements.'

Lindenwood says HS 51000 and HS 53500 are hybrid and require at least one weekend on campus 'during the semester' for demonstrations and in-person testing of hands-on skills. The FAQ calls them scheduled on-ground sessions. Neither page says how many weekends you'll need in total, or whether the minimum is per course or per semester. That's your first question for admissions.

The weekend work covers lab-based instruction, hands-on application of training techniques, performance testing, and practical skill development. Everything else runs online. Lab-heavy courses and the fall-only, spring-only schedule mean you can't treat this like a fully flexible degree, so map your first three semesters before you enroll.

Who It Fits

• Coaches and trainers within driving distance of St. Charles. The on-campus sessions happen in Lindenwood's Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory, where you assess body composition, musculoskeletal fitness, cardiorespiratory function, and performance outcomes.
• Working exercise science graduates who want CSCS help. HS 56500 CSCS Exam Preparation is an elective, and the school says the coursework lines up with the exam's content domains. CSCS stands for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
• Military students. Active-duty personnel pay $250 a credit through a scholarship or grant, and other military members and dependents get 20 percent off per credit.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who can't come to Missouri for weekends. Lindenwood's FAQ says plainly that the program is not fully online. Try our fully online exercise science list or the online strength and conditioning degrees.
• Career changers with no exercise science background. The program is designed for people who already have one.
• Anyone who needs a firm total before applying. Two pages give two prices, and the difference is worth asking about.

The nine major courses are HS 51000 Advanced Strength Training, HS 51200 Nutrition Strategies for Performance, Recovery, and Injury Management, HS 52000 Technology in Fitness and Wellness, HS 52500 Performance Psychology, HS 53500 Advanced Exercise Testing and Prescription, HS 54000 Research Methods, HS 54200 Statistical Analysis, HS 57200 Exercise Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Biomarkers, and HS 57600 Cardiorespiratory and Neuromuscular Exercise Physiology.

Sequencing matters. The catalog offers HS 57200 only in the fall and HS 57600 only in the spring, and both carry lab fees.

The page also lists electives, including CSCS Exam Preparation and Nutrition Education and Counseling. But 27 major credits plus 6 culminating credits already equal 33, so ask where an elective fits.

The thesis runs through HS 65001. The non-thesis route is an internship, HS 54100, plus a comprehensive exam, HS 58100. The catalog says HS 54100 earns 3 to 6 credits at 50 hours per credit, or 150 to 300 hours, and HS 58100 is a zero-credit pass/fail written exam.

Courses the School Names

• HS 51000 Advanced Strength Training
• HS 51200 Nutrition Strategies for Performance, Recovery, and Injury Management
• HS 52000 Technology in Fitness and Wellness
• HS 52500 Performance Psychology
• HS 53500 Advanced Exercise Testing and Prescription
• HS 57200 Exercise Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Biomarkers
• HS 57600 Cardiorespiratory and Neuromuscular Exercise Physiology

Standout Features

• Hands-on labs in the Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory (body composition, musculoskeletal fitness, cardiorespiratory function)
• Courses include Exercise Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Biomarkers and Cardiorespiratory and Neuromuscular Exercise Physiology
• Thesis or internship track

The program page lists $595 a credit, which makes 33 credits $19,635. Lindenwood's 2026-27 tuition page lists All Other Graduate at $619 a credit, which makes $20,427, a difference of $792. A footnote says the graduate contract rate is set when you're admitted, so the lower number may be an older contract rate. Get the rate in writing.

Transfer helps most. With nine credits accepted, 24 credits cost $14,280 at $595 or $14,856 at $619. The active-duty rate of $250 comes to $8,250 over 33 credits.

Add the Online Student Technology Fee of $530 a year, about $1,060 over two years, and lab fees in specified courses.

33 credits at $595 a credit comes to $19,635 in tuition, before fees.

Lindenwood is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. No programmatic accreditation applies to a master's in strength and conditioning, and the program isn't on the CAAHEP or CASCE lists we pulled September 29, 2026. CAAHEP is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, and CASCE is the NSCA's accreditation for collegiate strength and conditioning education.

The program says it prepares you for the CSCS. Know the rule behind it. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. That's about your undergraduate degree, and this master's doesn't replace it. Our CSCS guide explains the timeline. Lindenwood's federal graduation rate is 49 percent for the whole university.

Where this degree can lead: Strength and Conditioning Coach Careers.

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

• It isn't fully online. Lindenwood requires weekends on campus, and the pages don't say how many.
• The price conflicts. The program page says $595 and the tuition page says $619, which is $792 over 33 credits.
• The credit math is confusing. The page lists electives, yet 27 major credits and 6 culminating credits already add up to 33.
• The career tiles on the program page cite BLS salaries that don't match the BLS wage tables we use, so don't budget from them.
• Some courses run once a year. Missing the fall HS 57200 or spring HS 57600 can add a semester.

• How many campus weekends will I attend in total, and are they per course or per semester?
• Which rate applies to me, $595 or $619, and does the contract rate lock in at admission?
• Where do the electives fit when 27 major credits plus 6 culminating credits equal 33?
• How many credits and hours does the internship carry, and who approves my site?
• When do I choose between the thesis and the non-thesis option, and can I switch?
• What exercise science coursework counts as the 'related field' background you expect?
• Can I take HS 57200 and HS 57600 in sequence without waiting a full year?

Independent, public-serving university in St. Charles, Missouri, with a historical Presbyterian relationship. Its Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory (EPNL) supports graduate research and hands-on labs for the strength and conditioning program.

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• Best Online Programs in Missouri Rank 4 of 9, master's

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