Saint Xavier University Online Master of Science in Exercise Science - Strength and Conditioning (Accelerated, Traditional and 4+1 Options)

Saint Xavier's online M.S. in Exercise Science is a strength and conditioning master's you can finish in one year at $530 per credit, roughly $19,080 to $20,670 in tuition. It includes a two-day, in-person lab intensive in Chicago. The next listed start is August 23, 2027, the program isn't on NSCA's CASCE list, and a good share of the core is general health-professional coursework, not lifting science.

Saint Xavier University (SXU) is a private Catholic university in Chicago, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its Master of Science in Exercise Science has one focus, strength and conditioning, offered three ways: Accelerated (one year, 6 to 9 credits every 7 weeks), Traditional (two years, 3 to 6 credits a semester) and 4+1 for current SXU seniors.

The degree is meant for graduates of science or healthcare-related bachelor's programs. Admission asks for an accredited bachelor's, official transcripts and an application with no fee. Joe Eisenmann directs graduate exercise science. SXU's federal graduation rate is 57 percent, and it admits 84 percent of applicants.

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

SXU says coursework is 100% online except the intensive, taught in 7-week terms through Canvas, which has 24/7 chat and phone support. Faculty are reachable by phone, email and video conference, or in person if you can stop by campus. Regular seminars let students network.

Accelerated students carry 6 to 9 credits every seven weeks, a heavy load beside a full-time job. Traditional students take 3 to 6 credits a semester for two years. The onsite session happens in the Human Performance Lab inside the Center for Health and Wellness. SXU's index page says 8-week terms while its catalog and program page say 7, so ask which is right.

Who It Fits

• Working adults who want a short timeline. Accelerated students finish in a year, and Traditional students take 3 to 6 credits a semester over two years, so the same degree works part time.
• Coaches who want lab time on modern equipment. SXU's Human Performance Lab lists GPS tracking, portable force plates, velocity-based technology, a VO2 analysis system, VALD jump mat and dynamometer, and a Dashr laser system. You also get Train Heroic program design software.
• Anyone who wants to finish an original research project. Three project courses (EXSCG 600, 601 and 602) have you complete one, and 602 can be repeated up to three times.
• Cost-conscious graduates. There's no application fee, and up to 6 non-clinical transfer credits can count with faculty approval.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who can't get to Chicago. Motor Development and Skill Acquisition includes a two-day on-campus intensive in your last semester, and the course carries a $200 lab fee.
• Students without a science or healthcare bachelor's. SXU designs the program for those backgrounds.
• Anyone who needs an accredited-degree credential. SXU isn't on NSCA's CASCE list, and its pages don't list CAAHEP, the accreditor for exercise physiology master's programs. See online strength and conditioning degrees for CASCE-listed options.
• Anyone who needs to start soon. SXU's page lists Fall I, August 23, 2027 as the next start.

The catalog counts six core courses, and four are general. Leadership and Ethics centers on healthcare ethics and the Mercy mission. Psychology of Exercise and Sport Performance is really health-behavior theory and intervention design. Application of Educational Practices covers health information literacy and teaching in clinical and rehabilitation settings. The fourth is Research Methods and Applied Statistics. The other two are Applied Physiology and Application of Strength and Conditioning Principles.

The strength and conditioning courses are Advanced Strength and Conditioning (biochemistry, needs analysis, biomechanics), Advanced Recovery and Regeneration (nutrition, sleep and physical stress), Motor Development and Skill Acquisition, and Application of Strength and Conditioning Principles, where you use periodization to design an annual plan for an individual or team.

Your elective is Advanced Coaching Practices, which covers motivational interviewing and positive psychology, or one of two nursing courses. The scholarly project runs 3 + 3 + 1 credits, and repeating EXSCG 602 is why the total floats between 36 and 39. Four or five of thirteen courses are strength and conditioning specific.

Courses the School Names

• Advanced Concepts in Applied Physiology
• Advanced Strength and Conditioning
• Advanced Recovery and Conditioning
• Motor Development and Skill Acquisition
• Application of Strength and Conditioning Principles
• Psychology of Exercise and Sport Performance
• Research Methods and Applied Statistics
• Leadership and Ethics
• Advanced Coaching Practices

Standout Features

• Human Performance Lab with GPS tracking, portable force plates, velocity-based tech, VO2 analysis, VALD dynamometer/jump mat/timing gates, Dashr laser
• Train Heroic program design software access
• Faculty with 50+ years combined S&C experience; 4+1 dual-degree option for current SXU seniors

Tuition is $530 per credit for Fall 2026 through Summer 2027. SXU's program page prices the degree at $19,080, which is 36 credits. With 39 credits it's $20,670. Fees add $225 for the academic service fee, $225 to graduate and $200 for the EXSCG 580 lab, or $650 in all, so plan on $19,730 to $21,320. You'll also pay for travel to Chicago.

Up to 6 transfer credits are worth $3,180 at $530 each, and you request them in writing after you're admitted. SXU lists no application fee.

36 credits at $530 a credit comes to $19,080 in tuition, before fees.

The Higher Learning Commission accredits SXU as an institution. The program lists no programmatic accreditation, and SXU isn't on NSCA's CASCE list. SXU says the program follows NSCA principles and prepares you for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. Today the CSCS needs a bachelor's degree and CPR/AED certification. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. That rule concerns your bachelor's.

SXU also says a master's plus the CSCS are the minimum for careers in collegiate and professional sports, health and wellness, tactical work and clinical rehabilitation. That's the school's view of the market, so check postings in the setting you want.

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

• SXU's pages disagree. The program page and catalog say 36 to 39 credits, the curriculum page says 37 to 39, and it shows 9 elective credits although you pick one 3-credit course. Terms are 7 weeks in most places and 8 on the index page.
• The only listed start is August 23, 2027, and July 31 is called a priority deadline on the program page and a final deadline on the admissions page.
• You have to travel to Chicago for two days in your last semester and pay a $200 lab fee.
• Four of the six core courses are general: ethics, behavior change, education and research methods. If you want a program almost entirely about training, this isn't it.
• No programmatic accreditation is listed.

• Is the degree 36, 37 or 39 credits, and what decides the total?
• Are terms 7 or 8 weeks?
• Are there starts before August 23, 2027, and is July 31 a priority or final deadline?
• When is the two-day intensive scheduled, and can I choose a date?
• Do the scholarly project courses mean a thesis, and how many times do students usually repeat EXSCG 602?
• Will this program prepare me for the CSCS if my bachelor's isn't from a CASCE-accredited program?
• Where do graduates work, and how many finish in one year?

Private university in Chicago (3700 W. 103rd Street) whose online master's students use the Human Performance Lab in the Center for Health and Wellness, described by SXU as one of the most technologically advanced labs in the Midwest.

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