Highest Paying Jobs With an Exercise Science Degree, Ranked by Pay

The highest paying jobs with an exercise science degree are physician assistant ($135,880 median), physical therapist ($102,760) and occupational therapist ($100,330), and all three need graduate school. With a bachelor’s alone, health services manager ($123,860) and occupational health and safety specialist ($90,150) pay best. Exercise physiologist, the job that matches the degree by name, has a median of $59,460, per BLS OEWS May 2025 data.

What Are the Highest Paying Jobs With an Exercise Science Degree?

The table ranks 15 jobs that connect to an exercise science degree by national median pay. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for May 2025. The median is the midpoint, so half of workers earn more and half earn less. The range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile.

Two things stand out. Five of the top seven jobs need graduate or professional school. And the job named after your degree, exercise physiologist, sits 13th of 15.

That doesn’t make the degree a bad choice. It means the degree is a starting point for most of these jobs, not the whole qualification.

Which High Paying Jobs Need Graduate School?

Six of the 15 do. They’re the ones that most often show up when people search for high paying jobs with an exercise science degree, so here’s what each one takes.

Physician assistant. The American Academy of Physician Associates says most programs run about 27 months and award master’s degrees, with classroom work and clinical rotations. O*NET projects 12,000 openings from 2024 to 2034. PA programs want science prerequisites and many hours of hands-on patient care, so plan for that while you finish your bachelor’s. See the AAPA’s path to becoming a PA.

Physical therapist. You need a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from an accredited program and a state license. The American Physical Therapy Association says DPT programs typically last three years. O*NET lists 13,200 projected openings, and 267,330 people held the job in May 2025. Our exercise science vs physical therapy guide covers how the two fit together.

Occupational therapist. You need a master’s or a doctorate in occupational therapy (OT) and a national exam. O*NET puts the job in its highest preparation category, Job Zone Five, and projects 10,200 openings. Some exercise science graduates move into OT after finishing the prerequisite courses.

Chiropractor. You need a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and a license. The 10th to 90th percentile spread is $43,460 to $146,080, so the $79,200 median hides a lot.

Dietitian and nutritionist. The registered dietitian (RD) credential now requires a master’s degree, plus an accredited internship and an exam. Nutritionist titles vary by state.

Athletic trainer. You need a professional master’s from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and the Board of Certification (BOC) exam. A bachelor’s in exercise science alone does not qualify you.

How Much More Do the Graduate Degree Jobs Pay?

A physical therapist’s median is $43,300 higher than an exercise physiologist’s ($102,760 minus $59,460). A physician assistant’s is $76,420 higher ($135,880 minus $59,460). Even the lowest-paid tenth of physician assistants earn $99,380, which is more than the top tenth of exercise physiologists at $80,560.

But that pay comes after more school. Add about three years for a DPT or about 27 months for a PA master’s on top of a 120-credit bachelor’s, and price each program before you commit. Tuition varies a lot from school to school.

And grad school doesn’t always pay off. Athletic trainers need a master’s and earn a median of $62,520, only $3,060 more than exercise physiologists ($62,520 minus $59,460). Look at the number for the job, not just the degree level.

Can You Prepare for These Jobs With an Online Exercise Science Degree?

You can prepare for the prerequisites online. Whether the graduate program accepts them is the part to check.

Some DPT, OT and PA programs limit online lab credit for courses like anatomy and physiology, chemistry and physics. Ask each school you’re aiming for, in writing, before you pay for a course. We also list the online pre-physical therapy programs (40 of them) and the pre-health programs (32) with what each school says about its prerequisites.

Three fully online bachelor’s programs show what the range looks like:

• Northeastern State University BS in Health and Human Performance. 120 credits at $279 per credit, about $33,480 in tuition, and CAAHEP-accredited. The catalog describes the degree as pre-professional preparation for physical therapy, occupational therapy and chiropractic study. It also requires a practicum.

• Franklin University BS in Exercise Science. $398 per credit, eight starts a year, and up to 90 transfer credits. It offers optional Pre-Physical Therapy and Pre-Occupational Therapy focus areas. Franklin’s calculator shows about 20 months with 67 transfer credits.

• Arizona State University BS in Kinesiology. $580 per credit, so about $69,600 for 120 credits. ASU says the curriculum covers physical therapy and occupational therapy prerequisites, and it requires one three-credit experiential learning course, with an internship among the choices.

The price gap between Northeastern State and Arizona State is $36,120 ($69,600 minus $33,480). Whether a program is worth more depends on transfer credit, the prerequisites it covers and where you want to apply next.

What Are the Highest Paying Jobs With Just a Bachelor’s Degree?

Two jobs on our list clear $90,000 at the median without graduate school. Both are adjacent to exercise science, not direct matches.

Medical and health services manager. The median is $123,860 across 597,080 jobs, and the 90th percentile is $224,340. But the 10th percentile is $73,390. O*NET puts the job in Job Zone Four, where workers hold a four-year degree and a considerable amount of work experience. Fitness, rehab and wellness program directors move into this line with experience, and an MHA or MBA helps for senior roles.

Occupational health and safety specialist. The median is $90,150, with a range of $55,000 to $134,950 and 140,610 jobs. O*NET lists the same Job Zone Four. The work covers ergonomics, workplace injury prevention and wellness, and movement science transfers well.

Further down, health education specialists ($64,070, top 10% at $118,200) and recreational therapists ($61,960) also need only a bachelor’s. Recreational therapy asks for national certification with specific coursework and an internship.

Do Exercise Physiologists Make Good Money?

The median is $59,460, and the range is $42,760 to $80,560. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the job, which employed 8,560 people in May 2025. O*NET projects much faster than average growth, with 1,700 openings from 2024 to 2034.

It’s a small, clinical and wellness job, not a mass-hiring one. Cardiac rehab programs, hospitals and wellness departments hire exercise science graduates for it.

Pay varies by state. The highest annual means are Washington at $81,870, Minnesota at $72,750 and Massachusetts at $72,210. Those states have few of these workers, so treat them as directions, not promises. Our exercise physiologist salary page has the full state table, and the career guide covers the work.

A master’s helps with clinical lead and research roles, though it isn’t required. BLS doesn’t publish pay by degree, so we can’t tell you how much a master’s adds. Two online options built for the clinical track:

• Lebanon Valley College MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology. 33 credits at $789 per credit (about $26,037), CAAHEP-accredited, with three residency weekends in Pennsylvania and a 600-hour in-person clinical internship.

• University of Wisconsin-River Falls MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology. 34 credits at $567 per credit (about $19,278 before fees), asynchronous courses, and a lab weekend on campus each semester.

Accreditation matters here. The American College of Sports Medicine says that from August 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP (exercise physiologist and clinical exercise physiologist) credentials must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one in the process. Read ACSM’s rule and use our CAAHEP and CASCE ranking to filter. You can also browse the online clinical exercise physiology master’s programs.

What Do Fitness and Coaching Jobs Pay?

Trainers and group fitness instructors have a $47,160 median across 322,930 jobs. Coaches and scouts have $47,320 across 248,950. Both are big fields with wide ranges: trainers go from $28,800 to $83,100, and coaches from $28,790 to $98,860.

The ceiling is well above the median, but most people don’t start there. Personal training needs a certification, not a degree. The degree helps with pay ceiling, gym management and special-population clients.

Strength coaching has its own rules. College and pro strength coaching often favors a master’s plus the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) credential. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor’s from a CASCE-accredited program. See our CSCS certification guide and the strength and conditioning coach career page.

What Are the Highest Paying Kinesiology Jobs?

They’re the same jobs. BLS has no kinesiology occupation, so a kinesiology degree leads to the same rows in the table. That includes physician assistant, physical therapist and occupational therapist at the top.

What differs is the course list. Kinesiology programs vary in how many science prerequisites they build in. Compare the course list with the target graduate program’s prerequisites, then look at our online kinesiology degree ranking and the kinesiology jobs guide.

Where Do These Jobs Pay the Most?

State matters. Annual means for physician assistants top out in California at $169,110 and Washington at $164,430. Physical therapists average $122,580 in California and $120,700 in Nevada. Managers average $184,960 in New York.

Those are averages for the state, and they don’t adjust for what rent and groceries cost. Look at the median for your own state before you compare offers, and remember that small states report few workers.

How Do You Choose a Path for Pay?

Work through these steps in order:

1. Decide whether you want patient care. PT, OT and PA all mean working with patients every day. If you don’t, aim at management, safety or program roles.

2. Pull the prerequisites for three graduate programs. Do it before you pick your bachelor’s. Note the lab rules.

3. Price the whole route. Add the bachelor’s, the graduate program and the years you won’t be earning a full salary.

4. Check accreditation. CAAHEP matters for ACSM certification from August 15, 2027. CAAHEP’s exercise science committee lists accredited programs.

5. Talk to someone doing the job. Ask what a normal week looks like and what they’d do differently.

What Are the Downsides of Chasing the Highest Pay?

A median isn’t your starting salary. It’s the midpoint of every worker in the job, at every experience level. The 10th percentile shows the low end, and that’s the number to check for entry-level pay.

Pay also isn’t the only cost. The top jobs on this list are patient-facing, and PT, OT and PA all require years of graduate study. If you’d rather work in wellness programs or with athletes, a $59,460 median can be a better fit than a $100,000 job you dislike.

And no source can promise you a job. We show BLS numbers and program facts. Your pay depends on your state, your employer and your experience.

How We Checked These Numbers

Wages are BLS OEWS May 2025 national figures. Growth and openings are ONET projections for 2024 to 2034. We read the APTA, AAPA, ACSM and ONET pages on September 29, 2026, and program details come from each school’s own pages, linked above.

Programs and pay change, so confirm on the school’s page and on BLS before you enroll.