Online Kinesiology Degree: A Complete Guide to Your Options

Kinesiology is the study of human movement. An online kinesiology degree consequently brings together a variety of fields involving physiology, anatomy, exercise science, and biology. It may also include topics like education (helping students teach fitness to others) and sports management. With a certificate or degree in kinesiology or a related field, students can work in various health, wellness, and fitness careers.

ARTICLE NAVIGATION:

• Levels of Online Kinesiology Degrees: Certificate | Associate | Bachelor | Bachelor Completion | Graduate Certificate | Master’s | Post-Graduate Certificate | Doctorate
• Accreditation for Online Kinesiology Degrees
• Can Online Kinesiology Degrees Meet Licensing Requirements?
• Licensing for Kinesiology Careers
• Career Choices with an Online Kinesiology Degree
• Expected Salaries for Online Kinesiology Degree Graduates

Finding the right online kinesiology degree is critical. You can find programs ranging from a short certificate to a doctorate-level education. Read on to see what level is right for you.

Certificate

Kinesiology certificates prepare you for careers in strength coaching and training. Once you complete these programs, you’ll meet the requirements to work as a fitness trainer, which does not require licensing. However, some employers prefer candidates who have undergone National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) testing.

These programs are offered entirely online and can be completed in a year or less. They are ideal for people who have no college experience but want a fast path to a specific career in fitness and athletic training.

Online certificates are fully accredited by the same organization that accredits the primary institution. For example, the Higher Learning Commission accredits the University of Kansas; this accreditation applies to the university’s online Certificate in Strength & Conditioning.

Associate

Students interested in careers involving athletic training, physical education, recreation, or general fitness should consider an associate’s degree in kinesiology. Programs are generally offered 100% online, giving students a quick path to various kinesiology-related careers.

These online kinesiology degrees take two to three years to complete and include 60 credit hours. Once complete, an associate degree qualifies you for a fitness instructor or physical educator position. They also lead to careers for recreational workers, professionals who design and lead activities that help people stay active. This profession is found in settings such as nursing centers, summer camps, and fitness centers.

The careers that result from these associate degrees do not require licensing. For example, licensing is not necessary to work as a fitness trainer. These online kinesiology degrees, therefore, do not qualify students for licensing tests, as no licensing applies.

Bachelor

A bachelor’s degree is the standard education for many careers, and it’s the required minimum for jobs like exercise physiologist and recreational therapist. These online kinesiology degrees are ideal for students who want to study a specific field (in this case, kinesiology) but also want a broad education that may include classic subjects like history, literature, mathematics, and science. Bachelor’s degrees require at least four years of study and encompass 120 credit hours. Many are available entirely online.

Most of these online kinesiology degrees will prepare you for licensing and certification tests. For example, the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California Baptist University qualifies students for certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Graduates of these programs will also be prepared for exams to become certified personal trainers, group exercise instructors, or certified strength and conditioning coaches. Before enrolling, verify which licenses or credentials will be available after graduation, as each program differs.

Bachelor Completion

If you have already started a bachelor’s program but never finished the degree, these programs are designed specifically for you. Although the number of online programs is limited, they provide an excellent resource for people who want to restart their education.

Bachelor completion degrees hold all the same accreditations as a typical bachelor’s degree. For example, the bachelor completion degree from the University of Saint Mary holds accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.

Exactly how long your degree takes correspondingly depends on how much education you have completed in the past and what courses transfer to your new school. These online kinesiology degrees are available in exercise science, preparing you for careers as an exercise physiologist or athletic trainer. Graduates are ready for testing to become Certified Personal Trainers (CPT, ACSM), Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS, NSCA), or Certified Health Specialists (CHES).

Graduate Certificate

Students who have a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology but want to build their knowledge in a specific topic should consider a graduate certificate. These certificates focus on subjects that include medical anatomy, physiology, or sports psychology. Some even focus on one sport; Pennsylvania Western University offers a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Golf Performance.

Graduate certificates are usually concise and available 100% online. The online Graduate Certificate in Exercise Prescription from UConn is only three courses (nine credits). Comparatively, the golf performance certificate mentioned above is only five courses and 15 credits.

These programs can be completed immediately after a bachelor’s degree or as additional training for current professionals such as exercise physiologists.

Master’s

Kinesiology-related careers that require a master’s degree include athletic trainer and occupational therapist. However, exercise physiologists can also increase their knowledge, job opportunities, and earning potential with these online kinesiology degrees. These programs are available entirely online and can lead to certification.

To enroll in a master’s degree, you must have already completed a bachelor’s. A master’s by itself requires 35 to 40 credit hours. They typically take two to three years to complete, in addition to the four-year requirement of a bachelor’s.

An accredited, master’s-level, online kinesiology degree program through the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education will prepare you for testing through the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC).

Post-Graduate Certificate

If you have already graduated with a master’s degree yet still want to expand your knowledge of kinesiology and human movement, a post-graduate certificate is ideal. Available entirely online, these programs take a deep dive into a specific topic. They can typically be completed in a year or less.

For example, the Education Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction for Exercise Science from Tennessee Technological University looks specifically at creating health and wellness education programs. This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. It is ideal for people with a master’s degree who are working, or plan to work, in careers such as health educators, trainers, or even school teachers.

Doctorate

Suppose you already have a degree and career in fitness, health, wellness, or physical training and eventually want to move into scientific research or academia. In that case, a doctorate in kinesiology is an excellent choice. These online kinesiology degrees, which build upon your current education, take roughly 60 to 70 credit hours. They can specifically prepare you for careers including university professor, research scientist, or health-policy advocate.

Doctorate in kinesiology programs are available as a Ph.D. or Ed.D. A Ph.D. is a doctorate of philosophy and prepares graduates for research and teaching roles. Ed.D. stands for doctor of education; it’s specifically focused on education and leadership in kinesiology.

Most online kinesiology degrees can be completed entirely remotely, but some require limited in-person components. For example, the Doctor of Education in Kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro requires three campus visits of at least three days.

While there are no accrediting bodies specifically for kinesiology, a variety of groups accredit related fitness, wellness, training, and athletic programs. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs is the most common organization that oversees kinesiology programs. They are the largest accreditor in the health science field.

Two other bodies accredit or recognize a majority of kinesiology programs. The first is the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The second is the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). For example, both organizations recognize or accredit the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California Baptist University. After graduation, students will be prepared for testing from either organization. The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education is another important accrediting body for online kinesiology degrees.

Attending an accredited program is essential for future licensing. For example, attending a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs is required for certification testing as an exercise physiologist.

Resources:

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
• National Strength and Conditioning Association
• American College of Sports Medicine
• Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education

These programs will prepare you for licensing when needed, although most kinesiology-related careers do not have licensing requirements. For example, an exercise physiologist, one of the most common careers for online kinesiology degrees, only requires licensing in Louisiana.

On the other hand, athletic trainers require licensing in most areas. To become licensed, you firstly need to graduate from a bachelor’s program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Some of the programs in our database certified by this organization include the Bachelor of Science in Health & Human Performance from Fort Hays State University and the Bachelor of Science in Health & Human Performance from Abilene Christian University.

Resources:

• Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
• National Athletic Trainers Association - State Regulatory Boards

Only one state, Louisiana, requires licensing for exercise physiologists, although more states could have this requirement in the future. Nearly all states, however, require athletic trainers to be certified.

To become licensed as an athletic trainer, you must complete the standard examination through the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC). Testing firstly requires graduation from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.

After graduation, the process for completing licensing generally looks like this:

1. Create a profile with the BOC.
2. Complete the exam application. The exam costs $330, in addition to an application fee of $35 to $60.
3. Schedule the exam with the BOC.
4. Arrive at the appointed time and place and complete the exam.
5. Check your profile for exam results. Scoring is on a scale of 200 to 800, with a passing score of 500.

Resource:

• Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer

While various careers can be attained with an online kinesiology degree, exercise physiologist is one of the most common. This career has an expected growth rate of 9% between 2021 and 2031, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (The average expected growth for all occupations is only 5%.)

Other fitness and athletic-training careers have strong growth expected as well:

• Athletic trainer: 17%
• Occupational therapist: 14%

Exercise physiologists are in steady demand all across the county. More specifically though, the state with the highest per-job employment is Colorado, which has .14 exercise physiologists for every 1,000 jobs. The top five are rounded out by West Virginia, Michigan, Idaho, and Wisconsin, so there’s no single region with a concentration of exercise physiologists.

Fort Collins, Colorado, has a large density of this profession, with 0.31 exercise physiologists per thousand jobs. Ann Arbor and the Detroit area are also cities with many exercise physiologists. Michigan is a top destination for this profession.

Resources:

• Exercise Physiologists - BLS
• Athletic Trainers - BLS
• Occupational Therapists - BLS

The pay may not seem exceptional (only about $2,200 more than the national average), but you can earn a high-quality salary. The median wage for an exercise physiologist is $47,940, while the median for all careers is $45,760. However, the top 10% in this career can expect salaries over $76,000.

A lot will depend on where you live if you want to earn a high-quality salary. Unquestionably, exercise physiologists in California have the most significant median wage. Professionals in this state have a median salary of $76,040. In the second place is New York, which drops down to $65,450. The Los Angeles region has the highest for all metro areas, with a median salary of $76,450.

Here are the median salaries for other careers that involve kinesiology, fitness, and athletic training:

Resource:

• BLS - Occupational Outlook Handbook

Whether you complete a certificate, a doctorate, or anything in between, an education in kinesiology will prepare you for various exciting careers. Visit GetEducated.com today and submit your information. We’ll help you find the right program to fit your budget and goals.