University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Online Applied Kinesiology (M.S.)

UW-Whitewater's online M.S. in Applied Kinesiology is a broad, part-time master's from a public university, and it fits coaches, wellness staff and career changers better than aspiring clinicians. Wisconsin residents pay $666.32 per credit, or $19,989.60 for the 30 credits. Non-residents pay $1,280.77 per credit, or $38,423.10. Only one required course is advanced physiology, so look elsewhere if your goal is clinical exercise physiology.

UW-Whitewater is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and part of the Universities of Wisconsin. This master's belongs to its Department of Kinesiology in the College of Education and Professional Studies. The school calls it the only fully online M.S. in Kinesiology in the Universities of Wisconsin. Nothing requires a trip to campus, and you take courses part time and asynchronously.

The program page describes a curriculum that spans exercise physiology, exercise psychology, athletic coaching and research methods. The graduate catalog sets admission in good standing at a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school plus a 2.75 undergraduate GPA, or 2.90 in the last half of the degree. Applicants who miss the criteria can ask about contingent admission.

Courses are asynchronous, so there are no set login times, and the page says you can move at a pace that works for you. Full-time students can finish in three semesters, which is roughly 10 credits a term. The tuition page counts 9 or more credits as full time, and part-time students simply take fewer courses.

The practicum is the piece to investigate. The page says it provides professional experience, but the catalog gives no hours, site rules or supervisor requirements. Deadlines vary by term and change without notice, so check the graduate admission deadlines page for the term you want. The school also offers a Test Drive of its online platform.

Who It Fits

• Wisconsin residents who want a public-university master's without moving. The in-state online rate is $666.32 per credit, and you can start in spring, summer or fall instead of waiting for one fall intake. Our Wisconsin list shows the other programs in the state.
• Coaches, athletic staff and wellness educators. Required courses cover sport and exercise psychology and sport and recreation administration, and the elective list leans toward athletic injuries, children in sport and sport law. The school's career list names collegiate and professional strength and sport coaches and community health program educators.
• Career changers with a bachelor's in something else. The program page says it suits students with a variety of undergraduate degrees, so you don't need an exercise science major first. An advisor can still require you to make up missing background, and those courses don't count toward the 30 credits.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want to work as a clinical exercise physiologist. PEPROF 672 Advanced Physiology of Exercise is the only required physiology course, and the catalog lists no exercise testing or exercise prescription course. Compare it with our online clinical exercise physiology master's programs.
• Skip it if you live outside Wisconsin and watch every dollar. Non-residents pay $18,433.50 more than residents over 30 credits. Check the cheapest online exercise science degrees before you apply.
• Skip it if you need a degree from a CAAHEP-accredited program. UW-Whitewater lists no programmatic accreditation for this master's, and it doesn't appear on the CAAHEP list we pulled on September 29, 2026.

Six required courses carry 3 credits each: COACHING 705 Sport and Exercise Psychology, COACHING 710 Current Trends and Issues in Kinesiology, PEPROF 672 Advanced Physiology of Exercise, COACHING 702 Organization and Administration of Sport and Recreation, EDFOUND 780 Reading, Analyzing, and Evaluating Educational Research, and PEPROF 781 Capstone Portfolio and Career Application.

You then pick 6 to 9 elective credits from HEALTHED 591 Nutrition for Health, COACHING 661 Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries, COACHING 663 Children and Sports, COACHING 680 Legal Aspects of Sport and Recreation Activities, COACHING 706 Sport and Society, or PEPROF 794 Seminar. Last, you choose a practicum (PEPROF 793) or thesis research (PEPROF 799), worth 3 to 6 credits.

Be realistic about the emphasis. Exercise physiology is one required course, and the rest leans toward coaching, administration and research. The catalog's ranges can add up to more or less than 30, so ask an advisor for a written 30-credit plan before you register.

Courses the School Names

• Advanced Physiology of Exercise
• Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Current Trends and Issues in Kinesiology
• Organization and Administration of Sport and Recreation
• Reading, Analyzing, and Evaluating Educational Research
• Capstone Portfolio and Career Application
• Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries
• Nutrition for Health

Standout Features

• Described as the only fully online MS in Kinesiology in the Universities of Wisconsin
• Practicum option provides professional experience

The program page lists 2026-27 tuition starting at $666.32 per credit for Wisconsin residents and $1,280.77 for non-residents. Across 30 credits that's $19,989.60 for residents and $38,423.10 for everyone else. Fees aren't itemized, and the page says textbooks are yours to buy through the bookstore or elsewhere.

The tuition page doesn't list this online rate. It shows on-campus graduate tuition at $626.32 for residents and $1,240.77 for non-residents, so the online rates run $40 higher per credit, or $1,200 over the degree.

Transfer credit is tight. The catalog allows up to 12 credits or 40% of the program, whichever is lower, and you request it in your application. Students in degree programs may be eligible for grants, loans or scholarships, and the page points you to the aid office.

30 credits at $1,280.77 a credit comes to $38,423 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $666.32, the same 30 credits come to $19,990.

UW-Whitewater is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor. The master's itself lists no programmatic accreditation and no certification prep beyond a link to ACSM's exercise physiologist exam page.

That link needs context. The ACSM-EP requires a bachelor's degree, not a master's. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. The NSCA's CSCS rule starting January 1, 2030 concerns the bachelor's degree behind the exam. Read our accreditation guide before you assume this degree opens those doors.

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

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

• Advanced Physiology of Exercise is the only required physiology course, and the elective list has no second one. Students who want lab-style depth will feel that.
• The published rates are starting-at figures, and fees aren't itemized. Your actual bill can run above $666.32 or $1,280.77 per credit.
• The program page's online rates sit $40 per credit above the on-campus graduate rates on the tuition page, and the tuition page doesn't list the online kinesiology rate at all.
• The practicum and thesis options carry 3 to 6 credits, but the school publishes no hours or placement rules, so you're choosing them partly blind.

• Which mix of electives and practicum or thesis credits totals exactly 30, and which mix do you recommend for coaching or for exercise physiology?
• How many practicum hours are required, and can I complete them at my current workplace?
• What's the full per-credit charge, including fees, for the term I'd start, and why does it run $40 above the on-campus graduate rate?
• Given my bachelor's, would an advisor require make-up courses, and how much would they add to my bill?
• How does online thesis advising work, and which faculty supervise exercise physiology topics?
• Which start term and application deadline should I plan around if I want to finish in three semesters?

Public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin, part of the Universities of Wisconsin, whose Department of Kinesiology sits in the College of Education and Professional Studies and prepares students for exercise science, health promotion, strength and conditioning and coaching careers. It runs a dedicated UW-Whitewater Online site for its distance degrees.

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