Troy University Online Kinesiology, M.S.

Troy's online M.S. in Kinesiology is a coaching and sport psychology degree, not an exercise physiology one. It's 30 credits at $475 per credit, so $14,250 in tuition, with nine-week terms and five starts a year. It fits coaches and people heading toward mental performance work. Skip it if you want exercise testing, prescription or clinical training, because neither online track includes those courses.

Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, with a large online division. Its Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion runs this master's in three concentrations, and two are taught online: Coaching and Sport Psychology. Both are 30 credits. The third, Applied Physiology, is the exercise-science-heavy one, and Troy says it's offered in person on the Troy campus.

Admission is rolling with no application deadline, and Troy lists the Master of Science in Kinesiology among programs that don't require a graduate entrance exam. Courses run nine weeks. The online listing still shows August 15 as the next start date on September 29, so confirm your real start with an advisor.

The non-thesis Coaching path is 9 core credits, 18 concentration credits and a 3-credit internship, KIN 6690. The core is Statistical Analysis and Interpretation plus Research Methods I and II, and Troy requires a B or better in both research methods courses.

The six concentration courses are SPC 6602 Motor Skills and Human Performance, SPC 6631 Programs in Health and Physical Education, SPC 6650 Sociology of Sport, SPC 6655 Leadership in Sport, SPC 6672 Sport Psychology and SPC 6673 Ethics in Sport.

Sport Psychology rearranges the pieces. Its core is PSY 6689 and PSY 6690, Research Methods and Statistics I and II. Its 21 concentration credits drop Programs in Health and Physical Education and add PSY 6631 and PSY 6646. Motor Skills and Human Performance is the nearest either track comes to exercise science, and it's one course out of ten.

Courses the School Names

• Motor Skills and Human Performance
• Leadership in Sport
• Sociology of Sport
• Sport Psychology
• Ethics in Sport
• Statistical Analysis and Interpretation
• Research Methods I and II
• Internship
• Programs in Health and Physical Education

Standout Features

• Ranked #4 on SportsPsychology.org's 2026 list of Best Online Master's in Sports Psychology (Troy Today, Aug 19, 2026)
• Internships and practicums leverage Troy athletics and regional sports organizations
• 30-credit, 100% online kinesiology master's with Coaching concentration on 9-week terms at $475/credit

Who It Fits

• Coaches who want a master's. The Coaching concentration covers Sociology of Sport, Leadership in Sport, Sport Psychology, Ethics in Sport, Motor Skills and Human Performance, and Programs in Health and Physical Education. Troy names K-12 coach, athletic director and sports program administrator as career paths.
• People drawn to the mental side of performance. The Sport Psychology concentration adds Psychological Foundations of Education and Survey of Industrial Organizational Psychology. Troy names sports psychologist, performance consultant and mental skills coach as roles.
• Military-connected and working students. Terms are nine weeks with five start dates a year, and Troy lists active-duty tuition assistance at $250 per credit after waivers, which is $7,500 for 30 credits.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants exercise physiology. Neither online track lists exercise testing, exercise prescription or a physiology course. Applied Physiology is the concentration built for that, and it meets on campus. Compare online master's in exercise science programs instead.
• Anyone aiming for credentials that depend on program accreditation. Nothing on Troy's pages lists CAAHEP or CASCE recognition, or certification prep, for this master's.
• Students who want a guaranteed thesis. The coaching page describes a thesis track, but Troy's online program list shows only the non-thesis option with an internship.

Troy charges $475 per credit for graduate TROY Online programs, so 30 credits comes to $14,250. That's a low sticker price for a master's. Troy's fee table also lists a program fee of at least $24 per credit hour and a Trojan Book Bag charge of $24 per credit hour. Over 30 credits, each is $720, which puts a floor near $15,690 if both apply to you.

The program fee ranges from $24 to $75 per credit hour depending on the college, and the graduate application fee is $50. Active-duty tuition-assistance students pay $250 per credit after waivers. Ask which fees your online courses actually carry, because Troy's program page doesn't itemize them.

30 credits at $475 a credit comes to $14,250 in tuition, before fees.

Troy lists both concentrations as 100% online in nine-week terms. Ten courses at one per term takes about 90 weeks, and two per term cuts that to about 45, so your pace is mostly your choice.

The internship is where online gets less simple. Troy says you'll work directly with athletes and teams through internships and practicums. The catalog shows one 3-credit internship, and the pages don't describe sites, hours or who arranges them, so you may be lining it up yourself. The coaching page also mentions interactive lab-based coursework, yet the course list shows no lab.

Two faculty are profiled. Tyler Martin, Ph.D., CSCS, trained in exercise physiology, and department chair J. Brandon Sluder, Ph.D., trained in sport pedagogy. Ask who teaches the psychology courses.

Troy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The master's has no programmatic accreditation and no certification prep listed. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) does list a Troy Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology, accredited in May 2025, but that's a separate degree from this master's.

Two rules matter if you're thinking about certification. From August 15, 2027, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) requires graduation from a CAAHEP-accredited program for its exercise physiologist exams. From January 1, 2030, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) requires a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program for the CSCS. Neither rule is met by this master's.

Troy's job titles are sports psychologist, performance consultant and mental skills coach. The pages don't say which license or certification each needs, so ask.

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 internship is the hands-on part, and Troy doesn't describe sites, hours or who finds them.
• Pages disagree. The coaching page mentions a thesis track and lab-based coursework, while the online list shows non-thesis only and no lab courses.
• Fees aren't itemized. Program fees and the Trojan Book Bag could add about $1,440 to the $14,250 in tuition.
• Troy admits 96 percent of applicants and graduates 50 percent, both figures for the whole university.

• Which concentrations are running online this term, and is a thesis available online or only the internship track?
• What's the real next start date, given the online page still shows August 15?
• How do I find a site for KIN 6690, how many hours does it need, and can my current job count?
• Do the program fee and the $24 per credit Trojan Book Bag apply to my online courses?
• Who teaches the sport psychology courses, and what are their credentials?
• What licenses or certifications do sports psychologist, performance consultant and mental skills coach jobs require, and does this degree meet them?
• Which courses include the interactive lab work the coaching page describes?

Public university in Troy, Alabama, with a large online division (TROY Online lists 148 online degree options). Its School of Allied Health houses kinesiology; the Applied Physiology master's is campus-only while sport psychology and sport management are online.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 34 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 34 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 8 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 8 of 28, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 11 of 35, master's
• Best for Coaches Rank 17 of 43, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 27 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in Alabama Rank 3 of 4, master's

• Concordia University-Saint Paul

  Master of Science in Strength and Conditioning

  Minnesota $475 per credit Score 57.9

• University of the Cumberlands

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• University of Central Missouri

  Master of Science in Kinesiology

  Missouri $450 per credit Score 58.1

• University of Wisconsin-River Falls

  Clinical Exercise Physiology (M.S.)

  Wisconsin $567 per credit Score 57.6