University of North Dakota Online Kinesiology (M.S.)

UND's online M.S. in Kinesiology is a flexible, asynchronous master's at a public research university, with the same tuition for every online student. It's a general kinesiology degree that lets you tilt toward exercise physiology, sport psychology, coaching or esports, and it has no programmatic accreditation. At about $19,974.30 for 30 credits, it's a solid choice if you want breadth and a thesis-free finish.

The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks, and this master's is one of its 170-plus online programs. You need 30 credits, and UND estimates two years. You can start in fall, spring or summer, with application deadlines of August 1, December 1 and May 1.

Admission asks for a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school and a 2.75 GPA overall or 3.00 in your last two undergraduate years. You also send transcripts, three recommendation letters and a statement of goals. UND's requirements list doesn't mention the GRE. UND says its professors have researched healthy gaming, character development in high school, physical performance of athletes, sport and exercise psychology, coaching and parastronaut programs.

UND's site names six graduate courses. KIN 535 Applied Exercise Physiology covers planning, organizing and administering gas-analyzed cardiorespiratory exercise testing, with a prerequisite of KIN 402 or equivalent and consent of the instructor. KIN 530 Sports Biomechanics applies mechanics to human motion.

KIN 537 Applied Sports Psychology covers psychological skill training for teams and individual athletes. ESPT 540 Esports and Healthy Gaming looks at planning esports programs. KIN 585 Internship and KIN 590 Individual Research are the experiential courses.

The catalog sets three paths. The thesis option needs 3 to 6 thesis credits and at least 6 credits of research methods and statistics. The non-thesis option needs a 2-credit independent study or a 3 to 6 credit internship.

The Professional Science Master's option keeps at least 15 credits in kinesiology, adds 12 to 15 credits of professional courses such as data analytics, writing and project management, and ends with an internship or independent study.

Expect the schedule to matter. UND lists KIN 535 in fall of odd years, KIN 530 in fall of even years, and KIN 537 and ESPT 540 on demand.

Courses the School Names

• KIN 535 Applied Exercise Physiology
• KIN 537 Applied Sports Psychology
• KIN 530 Sports Biomechanics
• KIN 585 Internship in Kinesiology
• KIN 590 Individual Research in Kinesiology
• ESPT 540 Esports and Healthy Gaming

Standout Features

• Same online tuition rate regardless of residency
• Applied Exercise Physiology course on gas-analyzed cardiorespiratory exercise testing
• Esports and Healthy Gaming course; Carnegie R1 institution
• Professional Science Master's option with data analytics and professional skills courses

Who It Fits

• Working adults who want an asynchronous master's. You don't attend at a set time, though it's not self-paced and each course has deadlines.
• Coaches and sport professionals. UND's career list includes strength and conditioning coach, sports and esports coach, sport psychologist and sport development officer.
• People who want to keep a research door open. UND offers a thesis option, and its Ph.D. in kinesiology is also available online.
• Anyone comparing online rates across states. UND charges one online rate no matter where you live.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs an exercise physiology degree accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) clinical exercise physiologist route. UND lists no such accreditation. Look at our online master's in clinical exercise physiology list instead.
• Active-duty students hoping for the $250 rate. UND says it's for undergraduates, and the graduate online rate is the same for military students.
• Anyone who wants a fixed cohort schedule. Some courses run only in certain semesters or on demand.

UND's 2026-27 online graduate rate for kinesiology is $586.22 per credit, the same for every student. Student fees add $79.59 per credit. Over 30 credits that's $17,586.60 in tuition and $2,387.70 in fees, or $19,974.30, plus a one-time $185 graduate enrollment fee in your first semester, for $20,159.30.

Online tuition isn't capped at 12 credits per semester, but fees are, at $955.08. UND says the $250 active-duty rate is for undergraduates using Federal Tuition Assistance, and veteran and dependent discounts apply to on-campus programs. Yellow Ribbon and VA benefits are available.

30 credits at $586.22 a credit comes to $17,587 in tuition, before fees.

UND says the master's is 100% online and you never have to come to campus. Depending on the instructor, you'll use lesson modules, streaming video, posted lectures, virtual libraries and online simulations, with discussion boards, polls and chat rooms. You'll have your own academic advisor, free tutoring, unlimited academic coaching, online writing help and 24/7 technical support.

UND's pages send mixed signals about pacing. One FAQ says the classes are asynchronous so you can learn at your own pace, while the online section says it's not self-paced and that you'll work to deadlines. Plan for deadlines. Your program of study is set with your advisor in your first semester.

The Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor, has continuously accredited UND since 1913. The kinesiology master's has no programmatic accreditation, and it isn't a CAAHEP-accredited program on the list we pulled on September 29, 2026. It has no certification prep listed either.

That matters for the ACSM exercise physiologist route. From August 15, 2027, candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. The National Strength and Conditioning Association rule that starts January 1, 2030 concerns the bachelor's degree behind the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential, not this master's.

The FAQ cites a projected 10 percent growth for exercise physiologists from 2022 to 2032, while the page's job statistics say 13 percent through 2035. Use the newer figure, and don't read either as a promise.

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.

• Course rotation limits your options. KIN 535, the exercise testing course, runs in fall of odd years, and the esports and sport psychology courses are on demand.
• The exercise physiology content is thin. One listed course covers testing, and the rest of the degree depends on which options you choose.
• UND's pages disagree on pacing and on job growth, which suggests the marketing copy wasn't updated together.
• No programmatic accreditation is listed, so the ACSM route after August 15, 2027 doesn't fit.
• UND's federal graduation rate is 60 percent. That covers the whole university, not this program.

• Which of the six named courses run online in each of my first four semesters?
• How does KIN 535 gas-analyzed exercise testing work for an online student, and is any hands-on session required?
• Which option do most online students choose, and does the non-thesis internship need a site supervisor I find myself?
• Which per-credit rate applies to the kinesiology master's, and does the $185 first-semester fee apply to me?
• If I choose the Professional Science Master's option, which professional courses run online?
• Do you accept transfer credit from a graduate program I've already started?

UND is a public Carnegie R1 research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with over a third of students exclusively online. Its kinesiology program offers bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. options online or on campus, with exercise physiology and biomechanics labs.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 27 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 27 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 5 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 5 of 28, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 29 of 35, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 17 of 50, master's
• Best for Coaches Rank 13 of 43, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 22 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in North Dakota Rank 1 of 3, master's

• Kinesiology (B.S.)

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $432.45 per credit Score 62.6

• Kinesiology (Ph.D.)

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $586.22 per credit Score 67.5

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

  Master of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Physical Education (Accelerated Online)

  Texas $444.44 per credit Score 59.7

• California Baptist University

  Kinesiology, MS (Online)

  California $737 per credit Score 60.0

• Merrimack College

  Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Science

  Massachusetts $1,180 per credit Score 60.2

• University of Mississippi

  Master of Science in Exercise Science (Online)

  Mississippi Score 59.0