University of Connecticut Online Master of Science in Exercise Prescription

UConn's online M.S. in Exercise Prescription is the most clinical-minded degree in this batch. Its courses follow the ACSM guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, and the researcher who edited the ninth edition of those guidelines developed four of them. It's 30 credits, part-time, 100% online, at a flat $925 a credit, or $27,750 in all.

It has no internship, no clinical hours and no CAAHEP accreditation, so you'll have to plan around all three.

The University of Connecticut is the state's public flagship, in Storrs. The Department of Kinesiology runs a Health Fitness Research Laboratory and delivers this program through the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.

UConn built the master's for healthcare professionals, fitness experts, strength coaches, personal trainers and people changing careers. You learn to screen someone before they start exercising, prescribe using the FITT principle (frequency, intensity, time and type) for chronic disease, recognize common medication classes, and run a systematic review of the research. Admission asks for a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school and normally a 3.0 GPA.

UConn is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. No CAAHEP or CASCE program accreditation is listed for the master's.

UConn says its coursework closely follows the ACSM guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, and a graduate quoted on the program page reports passing the ACSM clinical exercise physiologist exam. The school doesn't claim formal exam prep.

The rules are moving under that credential. A master's plus 600 clinical hours is the current route to the ACSM-CEP, and from August 15, 2027 candidates must also graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program. The CSCS exam needs a bachelor's degree, and from January 1, 2030 that degree must come from a CASCE-accredited program.

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

Who It Fits

• You work in healthcare or fitness and see clients with high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or heart disease. KINS 5508 covers cancer, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neuromuscular and musculoskeletal conditions, and KINS 5507 teaches you to adjust a program for medications.
• You want to test the waters first. The four-course graduate certificate is 12 credits, and all of them apply toward the master's.
• You want to learn from the source. Dr. Linda Pescatello, who was senior editor of the ninth edition of the ACSM guidelines, developed the certificate courses and led creation of the master's.
• You're changing careers and have a bachelor's in any field, since the pages set no required major.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you need to graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program for the ACSM exams after August 15, 2027. UConn isn't on the list our research checked, and there are no clinical hours in the coursework.
• Skip it if you need a student visa. UConn can't sponsor F-1 or J-1 visas for this part-time online program.
• Skip it if you want to finish in a year. UConn calls the program part-time and says most students take up to 2 years.

Twenty-four credits are required: KINS 5222 Mental Health Considerations in Ex Sport, KINS 5507 Fundamentals of Exercise Prescription, KINS 5508 Exercise Prescription for Individuals with Chronic Diseases and Health Conditions, KINS 5509 Clinical Exercise Physiology, KINS 5511 Sitting is the New Smoking, KINS 5594 Fundamentals of Conducting Systematic Reviews, KINS 5595 Special Topics in Exercise Prescription and KINS 5596 Capstone.

You then pick two electives from Independent Study, Exercise and Sport Psychology, Lifestyle Medicine or advisor-approved KINS, AH or NUSC courses.

The capstone has you write a systematic review and deliver an online educational presentation on it, and KINS 5594 must come before KINS 5508. There's no thesis.

Courses the School Names

• KINS 5507 Fundamentals of Exercise Prescription
• KINS 5508 Exercise Prescription for Individuals with Chronic Diseases & Health Conditions
• KINS 5509 Clinical Exercise Physiology
• KINS 5511 Sitting is the New Smoking
• KINS 5594 Fundamentals of Conducting Systematic Reviews
• KINS 5595 Special Topics in Exercise Prescription
• KINS 5596 Capstone in Exercise Prescription
• KINS 5222 Mental Health Considerations in Ex Sport
• KINS 5223 Lifestyle Medicine
• KINS 5220 Exercise & Sport Psychology

Standout Features

• The four Online Graduate Certificate courses (KINS 5507, 5508, 5594, 5595) were developed by Dr. Linda Pescatello, Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and senior editor of the 9th edition of ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription; she also led creation of the online master's
• Coursework closely follows ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription
• Systematic-review course and capstone build research-literature skills for a professional (non-thesis) master's
• Stackable 12-credit online graduate certificate whose credits may transfer into the M.S.

UConn charges a comprehensive fee of $925 per credit, or $2,775 for each 3-credit course, and it's identical for Connecticut residents, non-residents and international students. Thirty credits comes to $27,750, and the application fee is $75.

You can spread that out. The four certificate courses total 12 credits, or $11,100, and all of them count toward the master's. UConn can also accept up to 6 graduate credits from earlier coursework, with approval. If it does, you'd pay for 24 credits, or $22,200.

The fee page says some students may qualify for financial aid or unsubsidized loans and mentions payment plans.

30 credits at $925 a credit comes to $27,750 in tuition, before fees.

Courses are asynchronous, and you can enroll in spring, summer or fall, although spring is open to master's applicants only. UConn's program page calls the degree part-time, while its Why UConn page says you can study part- or full-time.

Courses aren't all offered every term. The course schedule grid shows KINS 5508 and KINS 5596 running in only two of the six listed terms, so plan your order early. A graduate quoted on the program page says assignments involved posting questions that classmates answered.

Dr. Victoria DeScenza, an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist, coordinates the program.

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

• It's the highest price in this batch, and the flat $925 means residents get no discount. The 30-credit total is $27,750 before any transfer credit.
• There's no internship, practicum or clinical placement. If you want the 600 hours for the clinical exercise physiologist route, you'll find them on your own.
• UConn's pages disagree. Deadlines are May 4 and July 20 on the program page but May 3 and July 19 on the fees page, and the degree is called part-time in one place and part- or full-time in another.
• The course lists don't match either. The program page has KINS 5222 and KINS 5223, while the course page lists KINS 5112 Behavioral Health Considerations and Lifestyle Medicine with a placeholder number.
• Courses run on a rotation, and KINS 5594 has to precede KINS 5508, which can stretch your timeline.

• Which application deadlines are right, May 4 and July 20 or May 3 and July 19?
• Has the program started the CAAHEP process, and how will graduates after August 15, 2027 use it toward ACSM certification?
• How do students usually get the clinical hours for the ACSM-CEP, and does UConn offer any placement help?
• Which terms is each required course offered, and in what order should I take them if I study part-time?
• Who teaches each course, and which edition of the ACSM guidelines is the coursework built on?
• Is the mental health course KINS 5222 or KINS 5112, and is Lifestyle Medicine KINS 5223 or still to be numbered?
• How does the 6-credit transfer approval work, and can I start with the certificate and switch to the master's later?

Public flagship research university in Storrs, Connecticut. Its Department of Kinesiology runs a Health Fitness Research Laboratory and delivers the online Exercise Prescription programs through the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.

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