Our performance in life is directly tied to our health.

Through an emphasis on lifestyle and fitness, you can achieve greater levels of physical performance than you thought possible, while at the same time learning to competently and compassionately lead others into healthier lifestyles as well. Our online Master of Science in Health & Human Performance (MSHPP) degree program focuses on two relevant concentration areas: Health and Fitness Promotion, and Coaching and Fitness Leadership. If you want to achieve effective and ethical leadership styles in guiding individual and team performance, this is the program for you.

Anchor: Stats
Anchor: Programs & Requirements
Programs & Requirements

Programs & Requirements

Master of Science in Health & Human Performance (MSHHP)

This online master’s in health and human performance will provide you with an understanding of chronic disease prevention along with intervention skills to execute health promotion programs for diverse populations. In short, not only will you be better able to improve and maintain your own health and fitness, but you will also be able to effectively guide others into healthier lifestyles. Accepting that our mental and emotional wellbeing is directly linked to our physical health, by helping others improve their physical wellbeing, you will also aid in improving their mental and emotional health, increasing their potential to live more confident and successful lives.

Course Requirements

HHP 530 – Research Methods

HHP 531 – Applied Statistics

HHP 532 – Applied Nutrition

HHP 533 – Health and Fitness Psychology

HHP 534 – Exercise Physiology

HHP 535 – Exercise Testing and Prescription

HHP 536 – Foundations of Physical Activity in Health Promotion

HHP 630 – Health Promotion through Physical Activity

Choose from two (2) elective courses (6 credit hours) to round out the required credit hours needed for the MSHHP.

HHP 537 - Coaching and Fitness Leadership

HHP 631 - Advanced Coaching and Fitness Leadership

HHP 632 – Current Issues in Health Promotion

HHP 633 – Current Issues in Coaching and Fitness Leadership

HHP 634 – Strength and Conditioning

HHP 635 – Youth Health and Fitness

HHP 636 – Plant Based Nutrition

HHP 637 – Applied Sports Medicine

HHP 638 – Administrative and Management Strategies

HHP 639 – Special Topics

Anchor: Mission & Goals

Mission & Goals

The mission of the online master's in health and human performance program is to prepare you for an effective career in health-related vocations.

Understand the connection between lifestyle behaviors, general health, and chronic disease
Implement health and fitness assessment, intervention, and planning appropriate to diverse populations
Develop and apply effective coaching and fitness leadership strategies and styles in a physical activity context, from fitness to competitive athletic levels
Effectively communicate with and educate others on behavior changes, assessment procedures and results, and program implementation
Have a meaningful impact on the overall health and wellbeing of others, inside and outside your career
Anchor: Career Outcomes

Health & Human Performance Careers & Outcomes

All stats from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Fitness Trainer: $45,380

Fitness Trainer: $45,380

Fitness trainers and instructors lead, instruct, and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities.

Fitness Studies Teacher: $72,650

Fitness Studies Teacher: $72,650

Teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Physical Therapist: $97,720

Physical Therapist: $97,720

Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain.

Coach/Scout: $44,890

Coach/Scout: $44,890

Coaches teach amateur or professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts evaluate athletes as possible recruits.

Health Education Specialist: $59,990

Health Education Specialist: $59,990

Health education specialists develop programs to teach people about conditions affecting well-being.

Athletic Trainer: $53,840

Athletic Trainer: $53,840

Athletic trainers specialize in preventing, diagnosing, and treating muscle and bone injuries and illnesses.

Anchor: FAQs

Common Questions

The master’s in human performance with a health and fitness promotion concentration develops candidates through an understanding of chronic disease prevention along with intervention skills to execute health promotion programs for diverse populations. The coaching and fitness leadership focus is designed to help candidates achieve effective and ethical leadership styles in guiding individual and team performance. Both tracks of this health and human performance major require a drive to motivate others to be the best version of themselves. If that’s a challenge you can embrace, earning your health and human performance degree online could be right for you!

The curriculum for this online master's in health and human performance program will engage you in all aspects of physical health as they relate to human performance through research, statistics, nutrition, psychology, exercise physiology, health and fitness testing, and program design.

An online Master of Science in Health and Human Performance can have a meaningful impact on the overall health and well-being of others and in your career. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the employment field for fitness trainers and instructors will add 57,800 jobs through 2031. Job seekers in these fields can leverage a much faster than average growth rate of 19 percent! Roles you would be qualified to apply for include:

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation – and we even include free textbooks through our One Price Promise! For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.

Each course lasts eight weeks, called a bi-term. There are two bi-terms per semester, and three semesters per year (fall, spring, and summer). Many classes are asynchronous, meaning there is no set login time; you can work on schoolwork whenever you find time. Cumberlands provides free rental textbooks to online students as part of its One Price Promise. 

Anchor: Faculty

Faculty Experts

Learn more about your future Cumberlands professors.

Dr. Anita Bowman

Dr. Anita Bowman

Professor / Program Director
Health, Exercise and Sport Science
Master's in Coaching
Master Health & Human Performance

Dr. Anita Bowman

Contact Information

anita.bowman [at] ucumberlands.edu
Luecker Building
Dr. Eric Stephens

Dr. Eric Stephens

Professor
Master Health & Human Performance
Master's in Coaching
Psychology

Dr. Eric Stephens

Contact Information

eric.stephens [at] ucumberlands.edu
Luecker Annex 156
Dr. Ann Livengood

Dr. Ann Livengood

Adjunct Faculty
Health, Exercise and Sport Science
Master Health & Human Performance
Master's in Coaching

Dr. Ann Livengood

Contact Information

ann.livengood [at] ucumberlands.edu

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