Tennessee Technological University Exercise Science, M.A. (Online; Lifetime Wellness Concentration Plus PE and Sport Concentrations)

Tennessee Tech's online M.A. in Exercise Science costs $22,260 in tuition for Tennessee residents, and its Lifetime Wellness concentration is the exercise-based track. It suits fitness, wellness, and coaching roles, and it ends in a field experience and a research project. It isn't clinical, and its own pages disagree about how the 30 credits are split.

Tennessee Technological University is a public university in Cookeville, and this degree comes from its Department of Exercise Science. It's one master's with several concentrations: Lifetime Wellness, Adapted Physical Education, Elementary and Middle School Physical Education, K-12 Licensure, and Sport Management at 33 hours. Only Lifetime Wellness is built on fitness and exercise, so this review focuses on it. The others lead toward teaching and sport administration.

The department says coursework focuses on practical outcomes more than theoretical perspectives. Admission is decided by the department: an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 (2.5 for provisional standing), two recommendation letters, a letter of intent, a writing sample, and an interview if required.

Everyone takes EXPW 6230 Seminar in Exercise Science in the first semester. It's an orientation to online study that covers the iLearn platform, APA writing, Turnitin, and the electronic libraries. EXPW 6240 Assessment in Sport, Physical Education, and Wellness comes next. The department page adds EXPW 6250 Applied Motor Development and Motor Learning to the core.

The Lifetime Wellness courses are EXPW 5940 Fitness and Wellness, on wellness promotion through exercise and nutrition with assessment and intervention strategies, EXPW 6042 Wellness Promotion, on behavior change models and health promotion programs, and EXPW 6440 Physiology of Exercise. EXPW 6590 Field Experiences is a 1 to 3 credit practical experience in your area of emphasis.

The research sequence starts with EXPW 6510 Research Methods, where you learn to search, cite, and choose a topic. The department page then lists EXPW 6520 Research Project, which asks you to evaluate best practices in a clinical setting. The catalog lists something different, covered below.

Courses the School Names

• EXPW 6230 Seminar in Exercise Science
• EXPW 6240 Assessment in Sport, Physical Education & Wellness
• EXPW 6250 Applied Motor Development & Motor Learning
• EXPW 6510 Research Methods
• EXPW 6520 Research Project
• EXPW 6042 Health Promotions
• EXPW 6440 Physiology of Exercise
• EXPW 5940 Fitness and Wellness
• EXPW 6590 Field Experience

Standout Features

• Lifetime Wellness concentration focuses on fitness assessment and exercise plans for health and performance 'rather than clinical rehabilitation'
• Paid graduate assistantships incl. strength and conditioning and Special Olympics administration cover tuition, fees and monthly stipend
• Named Top 25 Online Master's in Physical Education 2023 by University HQ, per school

Who It Fits

• You live in Tennessee and want a master's that won't need much borrowing. The state rate is $742 a credit, and the school prices the 30 hours at $22,260.
• You coach or train people and want assessment and program-design skills. The concentration centers on fitness assessment, exercise plans, health promotion, and the physiology of exercise.
• You'd like funding. The department lists paid assistantships in teaching, strength and conditioning, and Special Olympics administration that cover tuition and fees and add a monthly stipend.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you need a clinical exercise physiology degree. Tennessee Tech says Lifetime Wellness is about practical applications rather than clinical rehabilitation.
• Skip it if you want a degree tied to a certification exam. Neither the program page nor the catalog names CSCS, ACSM-EP, or ACSM-CEP, and no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation is listed.
• Skip it if you want to finish fast. Graduate Studies expects about 2.5 years for a master's, and no accelerated schedule is published.

Tennessee Tech lists 2026-2027 graduate tuition at $742 per credit hour for Tennessee residents, $882 for domestic out-of-state students, and $1,468 for international students. That's the general graduate rate, and fees are extra. Graduate Studies prices 30 hours at $22,260 for residents, and 30 hours at $882 comes to $26,460.

Sport Management runs 33 hours, so it costs more. The department's assistantships cover tuition, fees, and a monthly stipend, and Graduate Studies says about one graduate student in three holds a paid assistantship university-wide. You apply through your department, so ask whether online students are considered.

30 credits at $882 a credit comes to $26,460 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $742, the same 30 credits come to $22,260.

The department calls the master's completely online. The catalog says field experience, internships, and practicum work can be done at your location and monitored through the online platform, which helps if you're already working in a gym, school, or clinic.

The first-semester seminar exists because the school knows online study takes a different skill set. The orientation covers the learning platform, plagiarism software, and APA formatting before you reach the concentration courses. Graduate Studies puts a typical master's student at about 2.5 years, so plan for a slow and steady schedule rather than a sprint.

The program page calls the master's nationally accredited without naming an accreditor. The catalog names one accreditation, and it belongs to the elementary and middle school concentration and the teacher licensure route: CAEP, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Lifetime Wellness isn't part of that. The university itself is accredited by SACSCOC.

On the certification side, the American College of Sports Medicine's exercise physiologist credentials, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP, will require a CAAHEP-accredited program from August 15, 2027. NSCA's CSCS will require a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program for U.S. candidates from January 1, 2030. Nothing on Tennessee Tech's pages links this master's to either.

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 credit split depends on which page you read. The department page says core 9, research 6, concentration 9 to 15, and electives 0 to 6. The catalog says core 6, research 9, concentration 15, plus a 3-hour elective.
• The research courses differ too. The department lists EXPW 6520 Research Project. The catalog lists EXPW 6530 Qualitative Research and EXPW 6550 Capstone Project, which ends in an oral defense to your classmates and professor.
• The concentration text contradicts itself. One page says fitness assessment and exercise and rehabilitation plans, and another says practical applications rather than clinical rehabilitation. Ask what rehabilitation planning means in practice.
• The nationally accredited claim isn't sourced on the page, and the concentration lists no programmatic accreditation.

• Which credit breakdown is current, the department page or the catalog, and which research courses will I actually take?
• Who is the nationally accredited claim from, and does it cover the Lifetime Wellness concentration?
• Can online students hold assistantships in teaching, strength and conditioning, or Special Olympics administration, and how do I apply from a distance?
• Where can I complete EXPW 6590 Field Experiences, does my current workplace count, and how many hours does each credit require?
• Does the rehabilitation planning in the Lifetime Wellness description involve clinical training, or is it about general fitness programs?
• How many terms will I need if I take courses year-round, and how often is each course offered?
• Do fees differ for out-of-state online students at $882 a credit?

Public university in Cookeville, Tennessee. Its Department of Exercise Science offers education, sport, fitness and allied-health concentrations and a set of online master's concentrations.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 71 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 71 of 99, master's
• Best for Coaches Rank 31 of 43, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 57 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in Tennessee Rank 2 of 4, master's

• Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.S. (Exercise Science concentration)

  Ed.S., Doctorate

  Fully Online $882 per credit Score 39.5

Also at Tennessee Technological University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning, Health Behavior & Wellness Education concentration (doctorate, on campus); Exercise Science, B.S. (Exercise Physiology, Fitness & Wellness, Sport Performance concentrations) (bachelor's, on campus).

• The University of Texas Permian Basin

  MS in Kinesiology (Online)

  Texas Score 46.7

• A T Still University of Health Sciences

  Master of Science in Athletic Training (post-professional)

  Missouri $690 per credit Score 47.2

• Avila University

  Master of Science in Kinesiology

  Missouri $650 per credit Score 46.2

• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

  Applied Kinesiology (M.S.)

  Wisconsin $1,280.77 per credit Score 47.4