Pursuing an Online Masters in Exercise Science or an Online Masters in Nutrition

There’s much more to fitness and nutrition than skinny bodies, big muscles, and fad diets. Even green drinks and circuit training, two tried and true elements of healthy living, miss the mark. Gaining an Online Masters in Nutrition or a Masters in Fitness and Nutrition could certainly teach you that. 

What’s right on target when it comes to nutrition and fitness is knowing how food and exercise work together with people’s unique physiologies to enhance (or destroy) health.  By earning an online masters in exercise science or an online masters in nutrition, you can become a science buff who helps people live healthy, happy lives.

In online masters in exercise science and online masters in nutrition programs, students don’t sit around talking about acai bowls and alternating between sprints and jogs. They learn about much more meaty subjects (grass-fed, free-range meaty subjects) like biomechanics, electrocardiography, pathology, and nutritional ecology.

They explore the human body through studying subjects like physiology, biology, and neurology. They ask and answer the question, “How can nutrition and exercise best support the human body?”  

Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

Health experts have long known of sugar’s toxic effect on health. But vintage ads from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s touted sugar's health benefits, mostly in response to health researchers’ attempts to spread the word of sugar’s devilish deeds.

Sugar, they boasted, was satisfying and energizing! Sugar, by way of soda or candy bar, could stave “overeating” and help dieters avoid the “fat time of day.” Advertisers asked the question, “If sugar is so fattening, how come so many kids are thin?” and claimed that little Judy—who just completed an activity-packed day, needed a sugarless drink “like a kangaroo needs a baby buggy.” Advertisers made sugar—cold-hard, refined, white sugar—seem like the superfood of the time.i And many people bought it - but not someone who has a masters in fitness and nutrition!

What Do Nutrition and Exercise Buffs Study?

To counteract the many nutrition and fitness misnomers and fads promoted by advertisers and industry alike, nutrition and fitness experts study the human body, exercise science, and nutrition science. Within those contexts, in an online masters in nutrition, they might study subjects like:

  • Vegetarian, pediatric, geriatric, or sports nutrition
  • Nutrition and exercise for people with diabetes, obesity, eating disorders, or chronic disease
  • Exercise for people with disabilities
  • Fitness and nutrition in public health

They’ll also put their neurons through a marathon of scientific and research methodology. From miles one through 26.2, they’ll likely study crazy cool subjects like:

  • Variance methods
  • Psychometric theory
  • Analysis and correlations
  • Applied regression analysis
  • Multivariate analysis
  • Quantitative research methodology
  • Statistics

Knowledge in areas like these help nutrition and fitness experts—and by extension, their clients—distinguish between fact and fairytale, founded and fraudulent. And this knowledge can be gained through a masters in fitness and nutrition. 

Can You Believe It?

From the 1920s through the 1950s, doctors endorsed smoking!—and even smoked cigarettes in their offices while they saw patients.

Camels brand cigarettes once claimed that according to a nationwide survey, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette."ii Lucky Strikes cigarettes claimed that “11,105 doctors say Lucky Strikes prevent throat irritation.”iii

Dozens of other ads from the same era made it clear: Smoking cigarettes was pleasurable, safe, and healthy. Say whaaaat?

Our Curiosity About Exercise Is Not a Modern Phenomenon

One of the first monographs written about exercise physiology appeared in the American Journal of Medical Sciences in as early as 1855. The 1890s gave birth to the first exercise physiology laboratory at Harvard’s Department of Anatomy.iv 

This means that curious scientists and researchers have been studying exercise and the short and long term effects of exercise on the human body for more than 160 years. Impressive!

Fun Snippets of Exercise and Nutrition Science Curricula

Exercise science might also get your heart pumping about these exciting areas: 

  • Fitness levels assessment
  • Fitness program fashioning for people with distinct needs
  • Building strength and the benefits of doing so
  • Developing speed and agility
  • Balancing conditioning with recovery
  • Teaching and helping people perform motor skills

And nutrition science might feed you health-conscious fodder in areas like:  

  • Nutrition therapy
  • Micronutrients
  • Bone health
  • Metabolism
  • Nutrition education and communication

An Online Masters in Exercise Science or an Online Masters in Nutrition: All Shapes and Sizes

Like the ice cream we might opt to avoid, online fitness and nutrition masters degrees come in many flavors:

  • The Master of Science in Nutrition Dietetics
  • The Master of Science in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
  • The Master of Science in Exercise Science
  • The Master of Science in Nutrition Science
  • The Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness
  • The Master of Science in Consumer Behavior and Nutrition
  • The Masters in Nutrition Online
  • Masters in Fitness and Nutrition

Each of these masters degrees and numerous others cover various aspects of nutrition science, exercise science, physiology, and kinesiology. Ultimately, you have to read about a program’s curriculum to see what it offers and whether or not it will nudge you in the perfect direction.

Skills Prevent Pills

We don’t actually declare this to be true—pills, from vitamins to medicine, may indeed be necessary for good health. But the title was pithy, so we went with it. Onward!

Thanks to media and pop health culture, it’s easy to believe that skinny equals healthy and that calories in being less than calories out equals good health and great looks. Nutrition and exercise novices often embrace this paradigm, claiming their pizza and candy binges are null and void because they went for a run just after. Even knowledgeable stewards of the human body fall victim to faulty thinking, noshing on the latest trend.

To help seekers of good health navigate potential well-being landmines, people with an online masters in exercise science or an online masters in nutrition develop key abilities. These help professionals in the field extinguish fiery but false fantasies.

Four critical skills you might develop when you earn your degree include:   

  1. Interpretation of research
  2. Critical inquiry
  3. Problem solving
  4. Project management

What do these have to do with nutrition and fitness, you might ask? Plenty. . . .

Nutrition and fitness professionals are scientists! They’re advanced puzzle doers.

They inquire into people’s chemistry, biology, DNA, physical constitution, history of illness, and other data and conduct and interpret scientific research.

Then they use their problem-solving and project management skills to best serve their clients.  

Crazy Funny Fact (Funny-Interesting, Not Funny-Ha Ha):

Our culture’s idea of “healthy” and “fit” have literally shape-shifted over time. Vintage ads from the 1930s through the 1950s often encouraged women to gain weight, fill out their figures, and attain a curvy body. One ad boasted, “Amazing new scientific discovery helps fill out skinny figures without pads, exercise, or overeating!” The same one has Ava Six’s endorsement when she says, “Don’t let them call you SKINNY.”

Later, skinny became the new curvy, and after that, strong became the new sexy. In between, various ideas and iterations of what looks good—and even what’s healthy—have kept us boggled.

Why We Need Fitness and Nutrition Experts and Why You May Need An Online Masters in Nutrition

The body’s complexities far surpass most people’s knowledge of what works and doesn’t work when it comes to looking and feeling fabulous. Keeping our bodies in tip-top shape requires understanding our biology and knowing how exercise and diet—from weight-training, cardio, and flexibility to taking in appropriate quantities and quality of calories—affect our bodies.

Because everyone’s body is slightly different, cultivating health and well-being requires different things of different people. Helping our bodies make the most of running, drinking green juice, and deciding what’s better—meat or no meat; fats or no fats; carbs or no carbs; fruit or no fruit—requires knowledge about how our bodies actually work.

Add to the encyclopedia of lookin’ good and feelin’ fine best practices for sleeping, emoting, and thinking most peacefully and powerfully, and you’ve begun to define the role of a nutrition and fitness expert. In short, fitness and nutrition specialists considers the whole person and how people can be strong, vibrant, and in good health. 

Monkey Minds Unite!

70 percent of adults surveyed said they experience stress or anxiety daily. Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, running, and practicing yoga, can reduce stress and maintain mental fitness.

Moving your body releases endorphins and can help decrease tension, elevate and stabilize mood, and improve sleep and self-esteem.vi

Potential Earnings for Fitness and Nutrition Whizzes

It’s kind of cool that you can potentially earn money by delivering your science- and research-based fitness and nutrition goods to people, isn’t it? Here are some occupations and earnings you might find yourself enjoying:

  • Health educators earned a median annual wage of $44,390 in 2015.vii
  • Exercise physiologists earned a median annual wage of $47,340 in 2015.viii
  • Dieticians and nutritionists earned a median annual wage of $58,920 in 2015.ix
  • Athletic trainers earned a median annual wage of $45,630 in 2015.x

Not all of these positions require employees to have masters degrees, but some do, and knowledge is priceless!

Snooze Buttons or Sneakers?

For many people, this is the first question they ask themselves every morning. It’s a question that pits puffy pillows against morning jogs, forcing them to duke it out for the championship. Why do our unhealthy desires conflict with our well-being needs? It’s hard to say precisely, but we do know that for many healthy-person wannabes, following diet guidelines and exercise programs is tough. Busy schedules, obligations, habits, and addictions stop us in our tracks, and not the kinds where 3 laps equal a mile!

Those of us who need help navigating ruts and achieving success depend on trustworthy guidance from trained professionals. That’s you, in case you’re wondering. So why not get started? You can support those of us prone to Netflix binges, buttered-popcorn, and hiding our health problems under the couch by analyzing our health profiles and showing us the way.  

The Journey to Well-Being Begins with One Step

Don’t hit snooze on pursuing your passion!

While in your soon-to-be profession “one step” might mean the first one onto a treadmill or the first one toward a bowl of steaming quinoa, we mean something different here: We mean the first step toward pursuing an online masters in exercise science or an online masters in nutrition.

We have lots of options posted on our page for you. Click on them to explore the nuances and offerings of various degrees. Submit a form to request additional information.

Through our site, you can begin your journey toward contributing to people's health and well-being. While sowing good health might be challenging, finding a perfect online masters in exercise science or an online masters in nutrition is not.


i time.com/4088772/sugar-information-history/ ii nytimes.com/2008/10/07/business/media/07adco.html iii tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?token2=fm_st002.php&token1=fm_img0109.php&theme_file=fm_mt001.php&theme_name=Doctors%20Smoking&subtheme_name=20,679%20Physicians iv asep.org/asep/asep/jan11.htm v huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/vintage-weight-gain-ads_n_1119044.html vi adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st vii bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm iii bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/exercise-physiologists.htm ix bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm x bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/athletic-trainers.htm