Texas State University Online Master of Science, Major in Exercise Science, Sport Coaching Concentration

Texas State's online M.S. in Exercise Science with a Sport Coaching concentration costs $18,072 in tuition for 36 credits, starts six times a year, and can be finished in as few as 12 months. It's a strength, conditioning, and coaching flavored master's, not a clinical one. The page lists no capstone, internship, or programmatic accreditation, and its certification wording uses older ACSM titles.

Texas State University is a public university in San Marcos, Texas. Its online graduate programs run on a site maintained by Risepoint, but Texas State says it keeps responsibility for curriculum, admissions, tuition, and accreditation. In Texas State's online menu this degree is filed under sport management, though the coursework is exercise science and coaching.

The 36 credits split into 15 core, 12 concentration, and 9 elective. The page says you'll learn to apply the scientific principles of physical training, work with children, adolescents, adults, and seniors, and add research and statistical software skills. It also says the coursework prepares you for advanced certifications or doctoral study.

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

Fall and spring have two 8-week terms each, and summer has two 5-week terms, which makes six starts a year. Two courses in every term adds up to 12 courses, or 36 credits, in 12 months.

Dates matter right now. Fall 2 starts Oct. 8, and its application deadline was Sept. 24, so the next open start is Spring 1 on Jan. 19, 2027, with an application deadline of Jan. 4. Have your transcripts, a resume, two recommendations, and a 500-word statement of purpose ready by then.

Who It Fits

• You coach, or want to, especially youth or high-level athletes. Two concentration courses, ESS 5354 for youth participants and ESS 5355 for high-level athletes and coaching effectiveness, are aimed straight at that work.
• You want a master's on a tight budget and a short clock. The listed total is $18,072, terms run 8 weeks, and taking two courses per term gets you done in 12 months.
• You like a science-heavy core. You'll take biomechanics, motor learning, research methods, applied statistics, and one advanced physiology course of your choice.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you need a clinical exercise physiology program. The concentration is strength, conditioning, and coaching, and cardiopulmonary physiology is only one option among three for a core slot.
• Skip it if you want supervised practice hours. The page lists no internship, practicum, thesis, or capstone.
• Skip it if you're missing exercise physiology, motor learning, or biomechanics. You need all three on your bachelor's transcript or you must enroll in them by your second semester, and the page doesn't say where.

The core has four fixed courses: ESS 5304 Motor Learning and Performance, ESS 5309 Biomechanics for Exercise and Sports Science, ESS 5346 Research Methods in Health and Human Performance, and ESS 5356 Applied Statistics in Health and Human Performance. The fifth slot is your pick of ESS 5306 Advanced Exercise Physiology, ESS 5310 Cardiopulmonary Exercise Physiology, or ESS 5311 Applied Neuromuscular and Skeletal Muscle Physiology.

The concentration is ESS 5307 Advanced Resistance Training and Conditioning, ESS 5327 Application of Strength and Conditioning Principles, ESS 5354 Developmental Sports Education for Youth Participants, and ESS 5355 for High-Level Athletes and Coaching Effectiveness. ESS 5327 includes classroom work and hands-on experience with advanced technologies and traditional and non-traditional equipment.

The 9 elective credits come from a short list: the two physiology courses you didn't choose for the core, plus REC 5330 Organizational Leadership and REC 5380 Organizational Planning in recreation and sport management. Your choices are narrower than the word elective suggests.

Courses the School Names

• ESS 5304 Motor Learning and Performance
• ESS 5309 Biomechanics for Exercise & Sports Science
• ESS 5346 Research Methods in Health and Human Performance
• ESS 5356 Applied Statistics in Health and Human Performance
• ESS 5306 Advanced Exercise Physiology
• ESS 5307 Advanced Resistance Training and Conditioning
• ESS 5327 Application of Strength and Conditioning Principles
• ESS 5354 Developmental Sports Education: Youth Participants
• ESS 5355 Developmental Sports Education: High-Level Athletes and Coaching Effectiveness
• ESS 5310 Cardiopulmonary Exercise Physiology

Standout Features

• Concentration courses combine advanced resistance training, strength and conditioning programming (with hands-on experience with advanced technologies) and youth and high-level athlete coaching education
• Core includes biomechanics, motor learning, and research methods and statistics for health and human performance; students can choose among advanced exercise physiology, cardiopulmonary, or neuromuscular physiology for a core slot
• Program states coursework prepares students for advanced certifications or doctoral study

Texas State lists $502 per credit hour, $1,506 per 3-credit course, and $18,072 for the full program. That's 36 credits at $502. The page states no separate out-of-state rate. BookSmart fees are added each term and aren't in the total, though you can opt out by the start of each term. The application fee is $55, or $90 for international applicants.

Accelerated Online Programs aren't eligible for payment plans or emergency loans, and tuition can change through legislative or Regents action the day it's enacted. Registrations after the tuition deadline require full payment at registration. The page doesn't say which academic year the rate covers, so confirm that before you budget.

36 credits at $502 a credit comes to $18,072 in tuition, before fees.

Texas State is accredited by SACSCOC, a regional accreditor. The program page states no programmatic accreditation, and we found no CAAHEP or CASCE listing for it. The page says coursework prepares you to sit for ACSM's Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist and Certified Health Fitness Specialist, the CSCS, or the Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist credential.

ACSM's own pages today name its exercise physiologist credentials ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP. The American College of Sports Medicine will require a CAAHEP-accredited program for both from August 15, 2027, and NSCA will require a CASCE-accredited bachelor's for U.S. CSCS candidates from January 1, 2030. Before you pay, ask which credentials this program can support under those rules.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs, ACSM Exercise Physiologist Certification.

• No capstone, thesis, internship, or practicum appears on the page. If you want supervised hours for a resume or a credential, you'll need to arrange them yourself.
• The certification list mixes clinical and strength credentials and uses older ACSM names. It isn't a clinical exercise physiology program, and we found no CAAHEP listing.
• The elective pool has five courses, and two are recreation and sport management leadership courses, so the elective slots do little to broaden your exercise science coursework.
• The calendar has date typos. The Spring 2 tuition deadline reads 3/4/24, and the last Fall 2 2027 class end date reads 12/16/26.
• You won't get a payment plan or an emergency loan, and BookSmart fees are extra.

• Which academic year does the $502 rate cover, and what will BookSmart fees add each term?
• Are there any practicum, internship, or comprehensive exam requirements that aren't shown on the course list?
• Which current ACSM and NSCA credentials does this program align with, and does Texas State plan CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation?
• If I'm missing Motor Learning or Biomechanics, which undergraduate courses does Texas State accept, and can I take them before my second semester?
• Can I take two courses per term for a 12-month finish, and how often is each course offered?
• Can I substitute another graduate course for the recreation and sport management electives?
• Which calendar dates are correct, given the typos on the schedule?

Texas State is a large public university in San Marcos, Texas, with a second campus in Round Rock. Its online graduate programs are delivered through a Risepoint-supported online site while Texas State keeps control of curriculum, admissions and tuition.

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