University of Missouri Bachelor of Science in Sport Science (Online)

Mizzou's online B.S. in Sport Science is a hands-on training and programming degree from a flagship public university, with no campus visits, three starts a year and a required internship. It suits personal trainers, group exercise instructors and career changers who already hold some college credit. It's lighter on physiology than the name suggests, and it isn't the track for a CSCS after 2030. The sister emphasis covers that.

The University of Missouri is a public flagship in Columbia, Missouri, and this degree is run by the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Sciences. Program director Steve Ball, who holds a PhD and the CSCS credential, teaches exercise techniques. Assistant professors Rebekah Carpenter and Jacob Linn teach exercise techniques and fitness programming. A Sport Science Advisory Board of professionals guides the program.

The degree is direct admit. First-year students need a minimum ACT or SAT score, with a test-optional review available, and 17 high school courses. Transfer students need 24 or more applicable credits and a 2.0 GPA in their most recent term.

Mizzou is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor. The online page calls the general track an NSCA Education Recognition Program, a label NSCA no longer publishes a list for. What counts now is the CASCE list, where Mizzou appears only for its strength and conditioning emphasis. Mizzou explains that the general track focuses on broader fitness and wellness roles.

From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the NSCA-CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Before then, a bachelor's plus CPR/AED is enough. ACSM-CPT and GEI need no degree. For ACSM-EP, CAAHEP accreditation is required starting August 15, 2027, and this program isn't listed.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs, CSCS Certification Requirements.

Who It Fits

• Personal trainers and group exercise instructors who want a bachelor's degree behind their certification. SP_SCI 2130 Exercise Techniques is written to prepare you for the ACSM-CPT or ACSM-GEI exams, and the typical transfer student needs only 57 more credits.
• Military and veteran students. Mizzou's Military Tuition Award can take 10% off base tuition, and the program lists Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) among the certifications it prepares you for.
• Adults who want a flagship-university diploma without moving. The degree is 100% online with no campus visits, and you can start in August, January or June.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want the CSCS after 2030. The general track isn't the CASCE-accredited one, so look at the strength and conditioning emphasis at the same school.
• Anyone chasing the ACSM exercise physiologist credential. The program isn't on the CAAHEP list we pulled on September 29, 2026.
• Pre-PT students who need a science-dense transcript. The required list has one anatomy course and no course titled exercise physiology, so compare the pre-physical therapy options first.

The 120 credits include general education, a few prerequisites and the major core. You take Human Anatomy Lecture, statistics, Introduction to Human Nutrition and Public Speaking.

The core is SP_SCI 2130 Exercise Techniques and its lab, SP_SCI 3130 Exercise Techniques II and its lab, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Foundations of Movement in Exercise, Fitness Programming and Foundations of Therapeutic Exercise, or Sports Performance Physiology in its place. Core grades must be C- or higher, and 12 supporting hours come from any College of Health Sciences course.

Exercise Techniques II covers Olympic lifting, plyometrics and speed and agility work. Fitness Programming is the writing-intensive capstone, built around test selection and periodization for cardiovascular, strength and agility training. It's a strong coaching curriculum. It's a thinner physiology one.

Courses the School Names

• SP_SCI 2130 Exercise Techniques
• SP_SCI 2200 Sport and Exercise Psychology
• SP_SCI 3130 Exercise Techniques II
• SP_SCI 3250 Foundations of Movement in Exercise
• SP_SCI 4440W Fitness Programming
• SP_SCI 4550 Internship in Sport Science
• PH_THR 4420 Foundations of Therapeutic Exercise
• NEP 1034 Introduction to Human Nutrition

Standout Features

• Sport Science Lab with GPS monitoring, force plates and motion capture
• Program director Steve Ball, PhD, CSCS, Curators' Distinguished Professor and State Fitness Specialist
• Advised by a Sport Science Advisory Board of professionals
• Same degree can be completed online, on campus or blended

Mizzou charges $707.50 per credit for 1 to 11 credits in fall or spring, and a flat $8,484.80 per semester for 12 to 18 credits. Summer is $441.00 per credit. The school's freshman estimate of $84,900 is 120 credits at the part-time rate, and its transfer example is 57 credits at $40,327.50. Textbooks, course fees and the application fee are extra.

The flat rate can beat that estimate. Taking 15 credits in each fall and spring for four years means eight semesters, or $67,878.40. Nonresidents add $134.20 per credit hour, so ask whether that applies inside the flat rate. Military students may get 10% off, which is $636.75 per part-time credit, and Missouri community college transfers may get 10% too.

120 credits at $841.70 a credit comes to $101,004 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $707.50, the same 120 credits come to $84,900.

Courses are semester-based on Canvas, in 16-week or 8-week formats. Mizzou says each course is either asynchronous or requires a set login time, and some carry a proctored exam. Instructors post weekly assignments, quizzes and exams, and classmates meet on discussion boards.

Apply by July 1 for fall, December 1 for spring or April 1 for summer. Mizzou recommends at least six weeks before the term. Your internship, SP_SCI 4550, needs a completed SP_SCI 3130 and Fitness Programming first, and the program page says site arrangement isn't detailed. The application fee is $55, or $65 for international applicants.

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

• The online page cites an NSCA recognition label, while the 2030 CSCS rule points to CASCE, and only the emphasis carries CASCE.
• Mizzou's college page mentions ACSM exercise physiologist certification for this track, yet the program isn't on the CAAHEP list.
• The internship is described as 3 or 6 credits on the program page and 1 to 6 credits in the catalog.
• Mizzou requires that 30 of your last 36 hours be taken at Mizzou, which limits how late you can transfer credit in.

• Which of my transfer credits count toward the typical 57-credit path, and can I see an evaluation before I apply?
• Does the $134.20 nonresident fee apply on top of the 12-to-18-credit flat rate?
• How do the two Exercise Techniques labs work for an online student, and what equipment do I need?
• Is SP_SCI 4550 3 credits, 6 credits or anywhere from 1 to 6, and how do online students find a site?
• Has this track started the CAAHEP process, given the ACSM exercise physiologist mention?
• Which required courses run synchronously, with set login times?
• Can I switch to the strength and conditioning emphasis midway, and which credits carry over?

The University of Missouri (Mizzou) is a public flagship university in Columbia, Missouri. Its online Sport Science degrees are run by the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Sciences, with a Sport Science Lab using GPS monitoring, force plates and motion capture.

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• Bachelor of Science in Sport Science with an Emphasis in Strength and Conditioning (Online)

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $841.70 per credit Score 55.9

• Concordia University-Chicago

  Kinesiology (BS) Online

  Illinois $440 per credit Score 52.8

• University of Toccoa Falls

  Exercise Science

  Georgia $400 per credit Score 52.8

• Methodist University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science (online)

  North Carolina $445 per credit Score 52.5

• Concordia University-Saint Paul

  Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science

  Minnesota $420 per credit Score 52.0