Best Accelerated Online Exercise Science Degrees (2026)

Commonwealth runs on regular semesters rather than short terms, so the 12 to 18 month pace comes from a full course load. Pennsylvania residents pay $557 per credit in tuition and out-of-state students $613, before fees. You finish with a 6-credit practicum or thesis, and you don't need an exercise science degree to apply.

California Baptist promises 12 months on a full-time course load, using accelerated asynchronous courses with starts in fall, spring and summer. Tuition is $737 per unit for 30 units, $22,110 before fees. Exercise Physiology with a C or better is the one prerequisite, and the fitness testing course uses a virtual lab.

UTRGV builds this master's on 7-week courses and can finish in as little as 12 months. At $444.44 per credit, the 36-credit program lands near $16,000. Read the fine print first: it's designed for current educators teaching in public, private or religious schools, and the concentration is physical education rather than general exercise science.

Ole Miss says you can finish in as little as one year full time, with rolling admission and 16-week courses. Online graduate courses are charged at in-state rates no matter where you live, which helps out-of-state students. Pick Applied Physiology, Biomechanics or Human Performance. If your GPA is under 3.0, you can submit GRE scores.

Cincinnati's asynchronous master's can be done in one year, as few as three semesters, with spring, summer and fall starts. Ohio residents pay $746 per credit and non-residents $761, so 30 credits at the higher rate is $22,830. A prior CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or ACSM-EP (American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiologist) can cover the science background.

River Falls suits you if you want a clinical track in 12 to 16 months. Courses are asynchronous, but you'll attend one lab weekend on campus each semester and complete a clinical internship in cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation. Everyone pays the same graduate rate, $567 per credit, so 34 credits is $19,278 before segregated fees.

Calvin has the widest timeline in this group, 12 to 25 months, full- or part-time, with fall and spring starts. Everyone pays $720 per credit, and you choose Health and Exercise Rehabilitation or Performance and Sport Science. The cardiac rehab certificate path would cut the clinical hours toward ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiologist eligibility from 1,200 to 600.

Hardin-Simmons splits fall and spring into two 8-week sessions and summer into two 7-week ones. You can finish in a year, though the average student takes about 1.5. Online-only graduate tuition is $595 per credit, $17,850 for 30 credits. Admission includes an interview with the program director, and you close with a comprehensive exam.

Lebanon Valley uses 7-week terms and fits about a year of coursework before a 600-hour internship, so the full clock runs past 12 months. It's CAAHEP-accredited (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs), which matters for clinical exercise physiologist certification. Expect $789 per credit, about $26,037, plus three residency weekends in Annville, PA.

This strength and conditioning master's runs 12 to 16 months, with asynchronous courses and starts in fall, spring or summer. The 2026-27 rate is $540 per credit whatever your residency, so 33 credits is $17,820 before segregated fees. Plan for three in-person weekends of hands-on gym training and a 6-credit internship.

Southern Miss reaches 12 months only if you carry a full-time load of 9 credit hours. Part-time, expect about two years. Out-of-state tuition is waived for online programs, so everyone pays $578.12 per credit part-time or a flat $5,197 per semester full-time. You take two courses a semester with no face-to-face requirements, then a practicum or thesis.

Corban teaches two 8-week courses per session and starts in August or January. You can finish in 12 months or spread it to 24 and keep federal aid. Tuition is $750 per credit, $27,000 total, with discounts for military members and veterans. It's a Christian university, and applicants must profess faith in Jesus Christ.

Canisius publishes a one-year roadmap for its 33-credit master's and lets you stretch it to two years if you work. Courses are 15-week semesters with fall, spring and summer starts at $945 per credit, or $31,185 in total. You choose a 120-hour internship at a site you arrange, or a research project.

Florida residents get a big advantage at Florida Atlantic: $371.82 per credit against $1,125.06 for non-residents, with no separate online rate and $30 per credit added for online sections. The 12 to 18 month pace runs on 16-week semesters. A required in-person internship with two athletic populations means you can't finish it entirely from home.

This one is for people who are already certified athletic trainers, not a route to certification. You need BOC (Board of Certification) status to apply, and you can finish in as few as 12 months, up to 24. There are four starts a year at $690 per credit, $20,700 in tuition, plus a $44 per credit technology fee.

The clock here is loose: one to three years depending on how many hours you take, so speed depends on going full-time. Online students skip out-of-state tuition. Rates are $578.12 per credit part-time and a flat $5,197 per semester full-time, plus course fees. You'll need a bachelor's in exercise science or a related field.

Lasell has six start dates a year and rolling admission, so you can begin soon and finish in 12 to 24 months. It's 36 credits at $756 each, $27,216 total. The one prerequisite is college statistics, which Khan Academy can cover before your first class. The focus is sports data, not clinical work, and there's no GRE or GMAT.

Eight-week courses in fall, spring and summer let you finish these 30 credits in about a year, entirely online. Texas residents paid $3,851 for nine graduate credits in fall 2026, while non-residents paid $7,703, and online courses add $50 per hour. The sports coaching emphasis suits you if coaching is the goal.

Salem takes one course a month with rolling start dates, so 36 credits can be done in as little as 12 months. Tuition is $650 per credit, or $495 for active duty and veterans, plus $150 student activity and $150 technology fees each semester. There's no GRE or GMAT, and the Strength and Conditioning track includes a practical internship.

Logan's accelerated courses run inside three trimesters a year, and its stated pace is one year at 12 credits per trimester, or two years part-time. The 36-credit Exercise Physiology track comes to $25,200 at $700 per credit. Plan on a 90-hour internship over seven weeks in the last trimester. There's no GRE.

Seven-week courses, two sessions in each trimester, and a stated 12 months full-time earn this master's its spot. The 42 credits at $700 add up to $29,400. The catch is fieldwork: two placements of 150 hours each, supervised by a coach who holds the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), so you'll need to plan your work schedule around them.

Tiffin offers seven-week asynchronous terms with six starts a year and a stated 12 months, which is quick for clinical exercise physiology. You'll pay $755 per credit, and active-duty students pay $325. The 150-hour internship can come from your current job, so you may not need to step away from work to complete it.

Memphis says you can earn this 30-credit exercise nutrition master's in as few as 12 months, fully online through UofM Global. Everyone pays $697 per credit whether they live in Tennessee or not, and the GRE isn't required. Admission weighs your GPA, work experience and a narrative statement about your career goals.

Avila teaches in 8-week courses with several starts a year, but its stated pace is 18 months, so it's a middle option for speed. The 31 credits at $650 come to $20,150, the same for every U.S. resident, and no GRE is required. A 2.5 GPA can earn provisional admission, with a leveling course added.

Six-week courses, one class at a time, give this master's a steady rhythm, though the school lists 20 months to graduate. You'll pay $629 per credit across 36 credits, or $22,644. The program page says you learn one night a week, on campus or online, so it trades some flexibility for structure.

Eight-week courses in a cohort model, but the stated pace is two years, so this is a steady program rather than a sprint. It's priced at $475 per credit, $15,675 for 33 credits, with a $350 military rate. It's asynchronous, asks for a 3.0 GPA, and skips the GRE and the application fee.

King's fits its 36 credits into twelve three-credit courses taught in seven-week blocks, with three starts a year and a floor of about two years part-time. It's 100% asynchronous at $765 per credit, or $27,540. If you aren't yet CSCS certified, you're expected to earn it between year one and year two.

You take one class at a time in 8-week terms, with six starts a year, and the school's pace is two years. That's slower than the one-year programs on this list but easy to fit around a full work week. Thirty credits at $630 total $18,900, and military students pay the same $630.

Here the speed is in 8-week sessions, not a short calendar. It's a 24-month, 77-credit cohort that starts each June, priced at $595 per credit, or $45,815 in tuition. It's also a hybrid: six week-long lab intensives in Abilene, five in year one and one in early year two, plus full-time clinical work in year two. It leads to the BOC exam.

Parker's 7.5-week courses run across three trimesters a year, and the school says you can finish in two years or less. Tuition is $871 per credit, $26,130 for 30 credits, with a $250 military rate. Prerequisites are steep, each needing a C or higher. The optional strength track adds a 300-hour in-person internship.

Liberty gives you eight start dates a year and 8-week courses, so you're rarely waiting long to begin. The 33 credits cost $600 each at the full-time rate, or $19,800, and military students pay $310. Coursework is asynchronous with no GRE, and up to 50% of the degree can transfer in.

This degree shares Liberty's eight yearly starts and 8-week courses, but adds two required week-long intensives in Lynchburg for the human performance labs. Travel and lodging aren't in the tuition figure of $21,000 for 35 credits at $600. In exchange you get asynchronous coursework, no GRE, and hands-on lab time most online programs can't offer.

Eight-week online courses and 34 credits at $610 each come to $20,740. The trade is a 600-hour practicum spread across two clinician experience courses, a large block for a program on a speed list. Admission needs a 2.8 GPA, or a 2.5 with a GMAT of 500 or a combined GRE of 300.

Eight-week terms and six starts a year set the pace at the University of the Southwest. The 30-credit master's is fully online at $675 a credit, $20,250 in tuition, plus a $100 administrative fee each term. The core leans on sport psychology, sports law and motor learning.