United States Sports University Online Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) in Exercise Science (Strength & Conditioning Specialization)

United States Sports University offers a sports-flavored bachelor's in exercise science at a flat $650 per credit, with books included. It suits transfer students, military members, coaches and anyone who needs physical therapy prerequisites. At 122 credits the full price is $79,300. The degree isn't on the CAAHEP or CASCE lists, so check ACSM and NSCA rules before you count on a certification.

United States Sports University is a private nonprofit school in Daphne, Alabama, formerly called the United States Sports Academy. It's small, with 367 students in federal enrollment data, and everything on campus revolves around sport. The Bachelor of Sports Science in Exercise Science carries a Strength and Conditioning specialization and 122 credit hours.

The plan breaks into 31 credits of general education, 29 of prerequisites and electives, and 62 upper-division credits. Admission asks for a high school diploma or GED and a 2.0 GPA, and SAT or ACT scores are optional. The school runs three semesters a year, and courses last 16 or 8 weeks.

The program page says this degree is offered in person and online, and the tuition page lists both online courses and on-campus offerings. No residency is required. USSU's calendar shows fall and spring each with one 16-week session and two 8-week sessions, plus summer sessions, so you can start several times a year. The second fall session begins October 19, and spring starts January 11, 2027.

Program director Dr. Mark Deaton holds a Ph.D. and the CSCS. Ask how the exercise physiology and strength and conditioning labs run for online students, and where the internships take place, because USSU's pages don't say.

Who It Fits

• Transfer students. USSU accepts up to 90 credit hours, with caps of 30 in general education, 30 in electives and 30 in sports-related courses. Bring the full 90 and you'd take 32 credits here, about $20,800 in tuition.
• Military members. The active-duty rate is $250 per credit, or $30,500 for 122 credits. That matches the $250 per semester hour that USSU's military page says Tuition Assistance can pay.
• Future physical therapy, occupational therapy or athletic training students. The optional Allied Health specialization adds general chemistry and general physics, each with labs, so the prerequisites sit inside your degree.
• Coaches and trainers who want a sports-heavy plan. Required courses include Applied Sports Mechanics, Psychology of Sports, Sports Nutrition, Leadership Principles in Sports and Organization and Management in Sports.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone aiming for ACSM's exercise physiologist exams. From August 15, 2027, candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program, and this degree isn't on the list. See the CAAHEP-accredited online degrees instead.
• Anyone planning to sit for the CSCS after 2030. NSCA will require a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program, and this one isn't on that list either.
• Students who want a large campus community or a fast, cheap route. Compare the cheapest online exercise science degrees before you commit.

The major has 26 credits: Applied Sports Mechanics, Psychology of Sports, Clinical Exercise Testing, Sports Medicine, Sports Nutrition, Exercise Physiology with a lab, Sports Strength & Conditioning with a lab, and Exercise Testing and Prescription. Upper-division core adds Motor Learning & Development, Ethics in Sports, and two management courses.

Before that come two semesters of Human Anatomy & Physiology with labs, Foundations of Sport & Exercise Science, Sports First Aid, Public Speaking and Principles of Biology with a lab. Research closes the plan with Statistical Measurement in Sports and a Senior Research Project.

The experiential piece is six credits, Internship in Exercise Science I and II. The Allied Health specialization is 19 credits: General Chemistry I and II, General Physics I and II, all with labs, plus a 3-credit prerequisite for graduate school.

Courses the School Names

• Exercise Physiology
• Applied Sports Mechanics
• Clinical Exercise Testing
• Exercise Testing and Prescription
• Sports Strength & Conditioning
• Sports Medicine
• Sports Nutrition
• Psychology of Sports
• Statistical Measurement in Sports
• Senior Research Project

Standout Features

• Allied Health track blends PT/OT/AT prerequisites into the exercise science degree
• Books included and no residency requirement
• Sports-focused curriculum with sport-specific courses such as Applied Sports Mechanics, Sports Nutrition and Psychology of Sports

Tuition is a flat $650 per credit for every student, so 122 credits is $79,300. Books are included. Full-time undergraduates also pay a $100 technology fee each semester and a one-time $45 assessment fee, and card payments carry a 3% fee.

Active-duty students pay $250 per credit, which is $30,500 over 122 credits. Payment plans split a bill into two or four installments. Ask an advisor whether the 19 Allied Health credits fit inside your 122 or sit on top of them.

122 credits at $650 a credit comes to $79,300 in tuition, before fees.

USSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its accreditation page lists programmatic approvals for sports management and coaching, and none for exercise science. It also describes NSCA's Education Recognition Program, an older program that NSCA no longer publishes a list for.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) now ties the CSCS to CASCE, its Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education. Starting January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. This degree isn't on the CASCE list we pulled September 29, 2026.

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) list doesn't include it either, and nothing on USSU's pages says it has started that process.

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 full price is $79,300, and the per-credit rate never changes, so your savings come only from credits you bring in.
• No programmatic accreditation covers exercise science, which limits the ACSM and NSCA credentials that depend on your degree.
• Pages disagree. Bachelor's admission lists a 2.0 GPA and a diploma, but the transfer page says undergraduates need at least 30 semester hours of college credit. The program page also says each course runs 16 weeks, while the tuition page says 16 or 8.
• Lab and internship logistics for online students aren't described, and the Allied Health labs need to satisfy the graduate schools you're aiming at.

• Do I need 30 college credits before starting, or does a high school diploma and a 2.0 GPA get me in?
• How do the Exercise Physiology and Strength & Conditioning labs work online, and does anything require travel to Daphne?
• Where do students complete the two internship courses, who approves the site, and how many hours does each need?
• Can I get a written transfer evaluation showing how the 30 general education, 30 elective and 30 sports-related limits apply to me?
• Do the physical therapy schools I'm targeting accept the Allied Health chemistry and physics labs taken online?
• Has USSU started CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation for this degree?
• If I'm active duty, does the $250 rate stack with Tuition Assistance, and which fees still apply?

Sports-focused independent university in Daphne, Alabama (formerly United States Sports Academy) with online-first delivery for bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs. Its exercise science faculty are led by a program director credentialed CSCS, and the school operates campus human performance labs.

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