North Carolina Central University Kinesiology and Recreation Administration (Online), M.S.

North Carolina Central's online master's is a 33-credit graduate degree with three concentrations: Kinesiology, Adapted Sports and Recreational Therapy. Only the Kinesiology track is exercise science in the usual sense, so read the concentration you want before you read anything else. North Carolina residents pay $299.23 per credit, or $9,874.59 for the degree, while out-of-state students pay $1,038.57 per credit. The GRE isn't required.

North Carolina Central University is a public historically Black university in Durham. The school's M.S. in Kinesiology and Recreation Administration comes in two forms, and this review covers the online one, which is separate from the on-campus master's.

The school describes the online degree as advanced study of exercise prescription in sport and clinical settings. It also says it's the only program in North Carolina that offers Recreational Therapy, Adapted Sports and Kinesiology online. The university lists a Recreational Therapy coordinator, an Adapted Sports coordinator and a graduate program director as contacts, and the concentrations run somewhat separately.

The degree is fully online, and the school says each concentration offers synchronous and asynchronous delivery. Field experiences happen in your own location through internships or practicums tied to individual courses.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents apply by July 1 for fall and November 1 for spring, and there's no summer admission. International applicants apply by April 1 for fall and September 1 for spring. The online program page still lists older Fall 2025 dates, including a July 31 domestic deadline, so trust the main NCCU program page and confirm with the department.

Who It Fits

• North Carolina residents who want a master's at a state school price. At $299.23 per credit, tuition for 33 credits is $9,874.59.
• Working clinicians and coaches who can arrange their own field placement. The school requires internships or practicums at your location, so a current job in a rehab facility, hospital or athletic department may serve.
• Students who don't want to sit the GRE. Admission asks for an application, a $50 fee, two letters of recommendation, transcripts and a statement of purpose.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want a clinical exercise physiology master's. The Kinesiology concentration is one of three, and the pages list no CAAHEP accreditation. ACSM-CEP candidates (American College of Sports Medicine clinical exercise physiologist) must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program starting August 15, 2027.
• Skip it if you live outside North Carolina and price matters. The out-of-state rate is $1,038.57 per credit, which makes the degree $34,272.81 in tuition.
• Skip it if you need every class on your own schedule. The school says it offers synchronous and asynchronous delivery within each concentration, so some classes may meet at set times.

The degree is 33 credit hours. Your concentration decides most of the courses, and the school's catalog holds the plan of study for each. The department says the concentrations give advanced study in assessment, human movement and recreational activities.

The career paths the school lists show how different the tracks are. Recreational Therapy points to certified recreational therapists in hospitals, rehab facilities and VA facilities. Adapted Sports lists coaching, strength and conditioning, elite or collegiate administration and sport classifier. Kinesiology lists exercise physiologist, and names nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist and occupational therapist as paths that each need their own schooling.

The department's own research areas include adapted sports in K-12 curricula and the impact of collegiate adapted sports, which tells you where the faculty's interests lie.

Standout Features

• School states it is the only program in North Carolina offering Recreational Therapy, Adapted Sports and Kinesiology online
• Kinesiology concentration focuses on advanced exercise prescription in sports and clinical settings for all populations

NCCU's 2025-2026 online table lists graduate tuition at $299.23 per credit for in-state students and $1,038.57 for out-of-state students. Across 33 credits that's $9,874.59 or $34,272.81, and the school doesn't itemize fees. The $50 application fee is separate and non-refundable.

The in-state total only holds if all 33 credits apply to your concentration. The table still shows 2025-2026 rates, so ask for the current ones before you budget.

33 credits at $1,038.57 a credit comes to $34,273 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $299.23, the same 33 credits come to $9,875.

NCCU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The pages list no programmatic accreditation for this master's. The accreditations the department names belong to its teacher education and recreation administration programs.

The school says students may earn certifications through the concentrations but doesn't name them. If you're aiming at clinical exercise physiology, note the ACSM-CEP rule that starts August 15, 2027. If you want strength coaching, the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) rule starting January 1, 2030 concerns your bachelor's degree, so this master's won't change it. Our guide to accreditation explains both.

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 a mixed degree. Only the Kinesiology concentration is exercise science, and the other two are recreational therapy and adapted sports.
• The out-of-state price is high. $1,038.57 per credit over 33 credits comes to $34,272.81 in tuition.
• The program page is loose. It says the program "will offer" both delivery modes, it names careers in a garbled sentence about nurses and therapists, and its deadlines are out of date.
• The field experiences are your job to arrange. The school requires them at your location, so you'll need a site that will host you.

• What courses make up the plan of study in each concentration, and how many credits do the three concentrations share?
• Which courses in my concentration meet live, at what times, and which are asynchronous?
• How many hours do the internship or practicum require, and who approves my site?
• Are the deadlines July 1 and November 1, as the main NCCU page says, or the older dates on the online page?
• What are the 2026-2027 online graduate rates, and do they include fees?
• Which certifications does the school mean, and does any concentration prepare me for a recreational therapy or exercise physiology exam?
• How long do part-time students usually take to finish the 33 credits?

NCCU is a public HBCU in Durham, NC, accredited by SACSCOC. Its Department of Kinesiology and Recreation Administration runs online tracks in Fitness and Wellness (B.S.) and Kinesiology, Adapted Sports and Recreational Therapy (M.S.).

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