University of Southern Mississippi Online Kinesiology (Exercise Science), M.S.

Southern Miss's online M.S. in Kinesiology (Exercise Science) is a 30-credit, research-flavored master's for people who already hold an exercise science degree. It costs $578.12 per credit, offers a thesis or non-thesis path and includes Advanced Clinical Exercise Physiology. It has no internship and no programmatic accreditation, so treat it as academic depth, not a clinical credential.

The University of Southern Mississippi is a public research university in Hattiesburg, and this degree comes from its School of Kinesiology and Nutrition. The school's page says the master's prepares students for positions in cardiac rehabilitation and health settings. It also calls the degree foundational content for people applying to physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant and medical school programs.

Admission is the stiffest part. You need a bachelor's in exercise science or a related field, one chemistry or biology course, and undergraduate courses in physiology and nutrition. You also send a statement of purpose, a resume and three letters of recommendation. The whole university's graduation rate is 49 percent.

Southern Miss lists $578.12 per credit hour, the part-time graduate rate for 1 to 8 hours. The non-thesis degree is 30 credits, or $17,343.60. A thesis adds 3 credits, or $19,077.96 in all, or 6 credits, which is $20,812.32.

Full-time graduate students pay a flat $5,197 per semester for 9 to 13 hours. Ten credits in each of three semesters would come to $15,591. The online delivery fee and course fees of $20 to $150 per credit hour are extra. Graduate assistantships waive general tuition and non-resident fees for the students who win them, but they require full-time status and a B average.

30 credits at $578.12 a credit comes to $17,344 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Exercise science graduates who want research skills. Two evidence-based practice courses sit at the front of the degree, and the thesis option gives you a project to defend. Faculty are described as strong researchers.
• Applicants planning for physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant or medical school. The page says the degree gives foundational content for those programs. Ask each program whether a master's helps before you spend $17,343.60. See our pre-health degrees for other routes.
• Working adults who want a flexible finish. The page says 1 to 3 years depending on hours enrolled, and Southern Miss's military center offers GI Bill help, military-only scholarships and no out-of-state tuition.

Who Should Skip It

• Career changers without an exercise science background. The bachelor's field plus the chemistry or biology, physiology and nutrition courses are admission requirements, so you'd finish prerequisites before you apply.
• Anyone who needs supervised clinical hours built in. The page lists no internship or practicum. The ACSM clinical exercise physiologist route with a master's needs 600 hands-on clinical hours, so you'd gather those elsewhere.
• Students who need CAAHEP accreditation. Southern Miss's on-campus Kinesiology B.S. has it, but this online master's doesn't list it. Compare our online clinical exercise physiology master's options.

The non-thesis plan is ten 3-credit courses. The research requirements are Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology and Nutrition and Applying Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology and Nutrition. The eight core courses are Applied Physiology in Sport, Physical Activity, and Nutrition, Assessment Techniques in Kinesiology, Dynamics of Skill Acquisition, Motivation and Behavior in Kinesiology and Nutrition, Advanced Clinical Exercise Physiology, Advanced Kinesiology, Nutrition and Human Performance and Advanced Biomechanics.

That's a real exercise science mix: physiology, biomechanics, assessment and nutrition, with two courses on how people learn movement and stay motivated.

The thesis option adds KIN 698. The page says three additional credit hours, while its course table lists 6 thesis hours. Ask which is right, because it changes your bill.

Courses the School Names

• Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology and Nutrition
• Applying Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology and Nutrition
• Applied Physiology in Sport, Physical Activity, and Nutrition
• Assessment Techniques in Kinesiology
• Dynamics of Skill Acquisition
• Motivation and Behavior in Kinesiology and Nutrition
• Advanced Clinical Exercise Physiology
• Advanced Kinesiology
• Nutrition and Human Performance
• Advanced Biomechanics

Standout Features

• Advanced Clinical Exercise Physiology and Advanced Biomechanics in the core
• Thesis option available
• Graduate assistantships waive general tuition and non-resident fees for awardees (school-level page)

The degree is 100% online. The page notes that not every course in the university Bulletin is available online, though enough are to finish the degree.

The school says faculty work to keep online students connected through regular interaction and mentorship. Program faculty are described as strong researchers who help students answer questions through data collection and analysis, which is what the thesis option is for.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accredits the university, and the online master's has no programmatic accreditation. Southern Miss's on-campus Kinesiology B.S. is accredited by CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. That's a different program from this master's.

The ACSM certified clinical exercise physiologist route with a master's needs 600 hours of clinical experience. From August 15, 2027, ACSM candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. This master's lists neither. The NSCA CSCS rule starting January 1, 2030 concerns your bachelor's, not this degree.

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 page gives thesis hours as 3 in one place and 6 in the course table.
• There's no internship, practicum or clinical hours listed, even though the page mentions cardiac rehabilitation jobs.
• Admission needs a related bachelor's plus chemistry or biology, physiology and nutrition courses, which keeps out career changers without that background.
• The advertised rate leaves out the online delivery fee and course fees of up to $150 per credit hour.

• Does the thesis add 3 credit hours of KIN 698 or 6, and how long does a typical online thesis take?
• Which prerequisite courses do you accept for physiology and nutrition, and can I take them after admission?
• Which hands-on or clinical experiences, if any, can I arrange, and would they count toward ACSM clinical hours?
• Can online students receive graduate assistantships, and what are the duties from a distance?
• Are courses offered on a fixed schedule, and are any exams proctored?
• Would physical therapy or medical programs I'm targeting count this master's in my application?

Public research university in Hattiesburg, MS. The School of Kinesiology and Nutrition (College of Education and Human Sciences) has 20+ faculty and 500+ majors and teaches in biomechanics, exercise physiology and sports pedagogy; Online at Southern Miss offers asynchronous programs at a rate that waives out-of-state tuition.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 73 of 99, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 73 of 99, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 21 of 28, master's
• Best Online Kinesiology Master's Rank 21 of 28, master's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 28 of 46, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 35 of 35, master's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 10 of 12, master's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 7 of 7, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 59 of 78, master's
• Best Online Programs in Mississippi Rank 3 of 3, master's

• Fitness and Nutrition, B.S.

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $433.59 per credit Score 60.2

• Coaching and Sport Performance, M.S.

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $578.12 per credit Score 53.4

Also at University of Southern Mississippi, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Kinesiology (Exercise Science), B.S. (bachelor's, on campus); Kinesiology, Ph.D. (doctorate, on campus).

• Grand Canyon University

  Master of Science in Exercise Physiology

  Arizona $610 per credit Score 45.6

• Avila University

  Master of Science in Kinesiology

  Missouri $650 per credit Score 46.2

• Tennessee Technological University

  Exercise Science, M.A. (online; Lifetime Wellness concentration plus PE and sport concentrations)

  Tennessee $882 per credit Score 46.7

• The University of Texas Permian Basin

  MS in Kinesiology (Online)

  Texas Score 46.7