Mississippi State University Online Bachelor of Applied Science in Professional Studies, Kinesiology Emphasis

This is a general Bachelor of Applied Science in Professional Studies with a kinesiology course list, open only to people who hold an Associate of Applied Science. Everyone pays in-state tuition, and up to 60 community college hours transfer. But only a handful of the listed courses cover exercise science, and the main degree page doesn't show kinesiology as an emphasis area. Confirm that with an advisor first.

Mississippi State University is a large public land-grant research university in Mississippi. Its Center for Distance Education runs the online B.A.S. in Professional Studies, which was built as a bachelor's pathway for students who finished an Associate of Applied Science and want to use as much technical credit as possible.

You need 120 hours: 39 of core curriculum, 30 in emphasis areas, 6 of university core electives and 45 of general electives, which can include approved technical credit. The emphasis courses are upper level.

That structure matters here. This isn't a kinesiology major, it's a professional studies degree where kinesiology courses may fill your emphasis hours.

All courses are 100% online and asynchronous, and MSU says diplomas don't show whether you earned the degree online or in person. The requirements list credit hours and GPA, with no internship or thesis.

Advising is central. The page tells you not to take classes without speaking to your advisor and warns that courses outside your recommended program may not count. Every program of study also gets a registrar review before graduation.

Applicants complete identity verification through Stripe Identity, submit separate official transcripts from every college attended and must be in good standing at the last school. You'll work with a dedicated BAS advisor from the start.

Who It Fits

• Working adults who hold an AAS and want a low-cost, fully online bachelor's. Courses are asynchronous, and deadlines are August 1, December 1 and May 15.
• Coaches, fitness staff or physical education aides who want a broad degree with some exercise courses. The list includes Exercise Programs for Clinical Populations, Aging and Physical Activity, Disability and Physical Activity and Exercise and Weight Control.
• People living outside Mississippi. Online students pay the in-state rate wherever they live, according to MSU.
• Sport industry workers who want business-side courses. Six listed courses cover sponsorship, law, communication, facilities, leadership and funding in sport.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you don't have an Associate of Applied Science. Only AAS holders may apply, and anyone who already holds a bachelor's can't earn this degree.
• Skip it if you need to sit for the CSCS after January 1, 2030 or the ACSM-EP after August 15, 2027. These rules call for CASCE or CAAHEP accreditation, and MSU lists neither for this degree.
• Skip it if you want anatomy, physiology or exercise testing labs. The kinesiology list has no lab course, and several courses list prerequisites like EP 3304 and BIO 3004 that don't appear on the page.

Mississippi State lists 18 courses on its kinesiology page, marked for information only. Exercise-focused ones are EP 3183 Exercise Psychology, EP 4123 Aging and Physical Activity, PE 4133 Exercise Programs for Clinical Populations, EP 4143 Disability and Physical Activity, EP 4183 Exercise and Weight Control and KI 3273 Athletic Training. PE 3163 Sport Psychology and PE 4853 Motor Learning and Skill Analysis lean toward sport.

The list also has PE 3133 Adapted Physical Education, PE 3223 Motor Development and Movement, PE 3433 General Safety Methods and PE 4413 Basic Driver Education I, which analyzes traffic accidents. Six SS courses cover sport business.

Each course is three hours. You must complete 30 upper-level emphasis hours, or 10 classes, in one 30-hour area or two 15-hour areas.

Courses the School Names

• EP 3183 Exercise Psychology
• EP 4123 Aging and Physical Activity
• PE 4133 Exercise Programs for Clinical Populations
• EP 4143 Disability and Physical Activity
• EP 4183 Exercise and Weight Control
• KI 3273 Athletic Training
• PE 3163 Sport Psychology
• PE 4853 Motor Learning and Skill Analysis

Standout Features

• In-state tuition for all students; AAS holders can transfer up to 60 hours

Tuition is $452 per credit hour plus a $25 instructional support fee, so $477 per hour before other charges. Over 120 hours that's $57,240 at full price, but you won't take all 120 at MSU. If 60 community college hours transfer, the remaining 60 hours cost $28,620.

The page says tuition and fees are subject to change and don't include every charge, and it doesn't name a rate year. Applicants also pay a $50 application fee, or $60 for international applicants.

Mississippi residents over 60 may qualify for a tuition waiver, and MSU employees can receive tuition remission for online courses.

120 credits at $452 a credit comes to $54,240 in tuition, before fees.

Mississippi State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The B.A.S. has no programmatic accreditation and no certification prep on its page.

From August 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP exams must graduate from a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited program, or one in the process. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the CSCS need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program.

This degree isn't on those lists, so don't count on it for either exam. Read our accreditation guide for the details.

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.

• The kinesiology page and the main B.A.S. page disagree. The kinesiology page lists courses, but the main page's 15-hour and 30-hour emphasis lists don't include kinesiology. It shows Health Promotion instead.
• The kinesiology course list is a mix of exercise science, physical education, sport business, safety and driver education. It's not a standalone exercise science curriculum.
• Foundation science isn't shown. Courses like Exercise Psychology and Athletic Training reference prerequisites such as EP 3304, BIO 1004 and BIO 3004 that aren't on the emphasis list.
• Admission is limited to AAS holders, and the transfer rules are strict. Sixty hours must come from a four-year university, and 30 must come from MSU.
• Mississippi State's federal six-year graduation rate is 67 percent. That covers the university, not this degree.

• Is kinesiology currently an approved emphasis area for the B.A.S., given that the main program page doesn't list it?
• Which of the listed courses will actually be offered online in the next two years, and how do I get into those with prerequisites like EP 3304?
• Will my AAS credits count toward the 45 general elective hours, and how many of the 60 four-year-university hours am I missing?
• What's the current instructional support fee and any other per-course fee for online kinesiology classes?
• Can I combine a 15-hour Health Promotion emphasis with a 15-hour area, and does that make more sense than kinesiology for my goals?
• Is there any lab or supervised practice for exercise courses, and do the courses prepare me for a certification like the ACSM-CPT?
• How many upper-level emphasis classes can I take per semester while working?

Large public land-grant research university; its Center for Distance Education delivers online degrees and charges in-state tuition to everyone for the BAS.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 17 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 17 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 8 of 18, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 11 of 23, bachelor's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 9 of 20, bachelor's
• Best Degree Completion Programs Rank 14 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Mississippi Rank 2 of 2, bachelor's

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