Best Part-Time Online Exercise Science Degrees (2026)

• Top Master's79.2 out of 100

  University of Florida

  Online Master of Science in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (Human Performance concentration)

  Florida · M.S.

  University of Florida's M.S. Review
• Top Bachelor's52.5 out of 100

  Methodist University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science (online)

  North Carolina · B.S.

  Methodist University's B.S. Review
• Top Doctorate64.6 out of 100

  Ohio University

  Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT)

  Ohio · DAT

  Ohio University's DAT Review

A program is on this list when its own school pages state a part-time option, either in the program text or as a stated audience. We record the pace the school publishes, such as credits per semester or years to finish, and we show it only when the school gives it. Programs with no stated part-time option are left off.

Inside each degree level, programs follow the six-factor score in our methodology: cost, outcomes, online flexibility, credential alignment, program depth and track record. A slower pace never changes a score. Of the 29, 24 are fully online. Saint Xavier, the two Logan programs and East Tennessee State include on-site or field hours, and Cal State Monterey Bay is an online degree completion program.

• A part-time pace stated on a school page
• Typical completion times shown when the school publishes them
• Ranked on the shared six-factor methodology

Scores are the weighted sum of six factors (Cost 25%, Outcomes 20%, Online Flexibility 20%, Credential Alignment 15%, Program Depth 10%, Track Record 10%), version 1.0. The methodology page shows the rubric for each factor.

How Part-Time Pacing Works in Online Exercise Science Programs

Schools describe part time in three different ways, and each one changes your calendar. Some state credits per term. Fort Hays State says most online students take 6 credits per semester, summers included, and finish its 32-credit Master of Science in Health and Human Performance in 3 to 4 years. Colby-Sawyer's part-time path is 16 credits a year.

Others state a finish time. Merrimack lists 9 to 12 months full time and about 2 years part time. The University of Florida lists 1 year full time or 1.5 years part time, with an average of five semesters. East Tennessee State lists 2 years full time against 3 to 4 years part time.

A third group says part time is available and publishes times only for the full-time route. Ohio University's Doctor of Athletic Training lists a minimum of four semesters, and Temple's lists 2 years including summers. Email admissions and ask how many credits count as part time and how long students usually take.

Term length and start dates matter as much as pace. Methodist's bachelor's uses 8-week terms with 6 starts a year, and King's College uses 7-week terms with 3 starts, with classes that are 100% asynchronous. Short terms let you take one course at a time and pick back up after a hard month at work.

Read the in-person requirements too. Saint Xavier requires a two-day session in its Human Performance Lab in your last semester. Logan's strength and conditioning master's requires two field experiences of at least 150 hours each at a site you choose, and East Tennessee State requires 240 supervised internship hours. Those hours don't shrink when your pace slows, so plan your time off work early.

Financial Aid and Loan Limits for Part-Time Students

Federal loans used to work the same at half time and full time. The Department of Education's January 2026 rulemaking notice says that under the old rules, students enrolled at least half time could borrow the same annual amount as full-time students. Since July 1, 2026, the annual limit is reduced in direct proportion to how much of a full-time load you carry.

The notice works the formula out in credit hours: the hours you take in the academic year, divided by the hours your school counts as full time, applied to your annual limit. It gives 24 credit hours as full time for an undergraduate, so by that formula an undergraduate taking 12 in a year could borrow half the annual limit.

For graduate programs the school sets what full time means, so ask its financial aid office.

The same notice describes new borrowing caps for graduate students, higher caps for professional degrees, and an end to unlimited Graduate PLUS borrowing. They apply to new borrowers on or after July 1, 2026. The notice was a proposed rule, so ask your school how it applies the law today.

Proration and price work together. A degree that costs $37,760, like Merrimack's, is harder to cover with loans at half time than one that costs $11,607.36, like Fort Hays State's.

If you're working, your employer may help. The IRS says in Publication 15-B that an employer can exclude up to $5,250 of educational assistance per employee from wages each year. Ask HR whether your plan pays per course or per year, and whether you need approval before you enroll.

Time Limits and Fees When You Slow Your Pace

Studying slowly has a ceiling. Colby-Sawyer gives you 7 years to finish on its 16-credits-a-year path. The University of Florida says coursework expires after 7 years, and Temple's doctorate has a 5-year limit. Ask for your program's limit in writing, because a paused semester can use up part of it.

Where a school charges fees changes what a slow pace costs. Colby-Sawyer adds $15 per credit for technology, so that fee is the same at any speed. SUNY Plattsburgh bills flat semester tuition of $5,655 for New York residents and $6,785 for everyone else, plus $618.50 in mandatory fees every semester. Ask how a lighter load is billed.

Southern Mississippi shows how billing can flip. Part-time students pay $578.12 a credit, which puts its 30-credit coaching master's at $17,343.60. Full-time students pay a flat $5,197 a semester for 9 to 13 hours. The per-credit rate fits one or two courses a term, and the flat rate favors a heavier load.

Some programs are built around pay-as-you-go. LSU's kinesiology master's charges $644 a credit, totals $23,184 for 36 credits, and is designed for full-time workers and parents. Check the per-course fees for proctoring and books too, because those come due every term no matter how few credits you take.

Certification Deadlines and a Slower Pace

Two rules put a date on your degree. ACSM says that starting August 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM-EP (Certified Exercise Physiologist) and ACSM-CEP (Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist) credentials must graduate from a program accredited by CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. The ACSM accreditation page also allows programs that have started the accreditation process.

The NSCA says that starting January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) must hold a bachelor's degree from a program accredited by CASCE, the strength and conditioning education accreditor. The NSCA CSCS page says the current degree requirement stays in place through December 31, 2029.

None of the 30 programs here appears on our CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation lists, because this ranking sorts by pace, not by accreditation. Merrimack's strength and conditioning concentration does carry NSCA Education Recognition Program status. For accredited programs, see our certification-ready ranking.

The CSCS rule names your bachelor's, so a part-time master's doesn't change it. If you already hold your bachelor's and want the CSCS, the current requirement is worth knowing before 2030. If you're starting a bachelor's part time, Methodist's 2.5 to 4 years lands near that date, so confirm accreditation before you enroll.