Angelina College Online Associate of Arts in Health and Physical Education

Angelina College's online A.A. in Health and Physical Education is a cheap, general transfer degree, not an exercise science program. In-district students pay $108 per credit, or $6,480 for all 60 credits, and the courses fit a Texas community college schedule. But only 16 of the 60 credits carry a PHED code, so treat it as a low-cost way to finish two years before a bachelor's.

Angelina College is a public community college in Lufkin, Texas, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Associate of Arts in Health and Physical Education is listed as 100% online and takes two years. You need to complete the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness testing to begin.

The school's own recommended plan describes the goal as entry-level work in fitness leadership, corporate wellness, recreational facilities or hospitals, or a transfer to a four-year school. It's a kinesiology foundation, not a clinical or performance degree.

Table A for 2026-27 lists three rates. In-district students pay $108 per credit ($70 tuition plus a $38 general institutional services fee), out-of-district students pay $163, and out-of-state students pay $210. For 60 credits, that's $6,480, $9,780 and $12,600.

Online courses also carry a $50 distance education fee per course. The plan has 20 credit-bearing courses, so the fee adds $1,000 if every one of them is online. That makes about $7,480 for in-district and $13,600 for out-of-state students. Course fees, such as the ones listed for PHED 1164 and 1306, are extra.

60 credits at $210 a credit comes to $12,600 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $108, the same 60 credits come to $6,480.

Who It Fits

• Texas students who want the cheapest possible first two years. In-district tuition and fees are $108 per credit, and the whole plan is 60 credits.
• Future coaches and PE majors who plan to transfer. The plan includes Principles of Athletic Coaching, Foundations of Kinesiology, and First Aid, and it follows the Texas core curriculum that transfers statewide.
• People who need a flexible pace. Angelina runs 4-, 8- and 16-week terms, and its recommended plan splits each semester into two 8-week terms.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want exercise science coursework. There's no exercise physiology, biomechanics, or exercise testing course in the plan, and the two biology courses are written for non-science majors.
• Skip it if you're aiming for athletic training, physical therapy or an exercise physiologist job. The plan's own footnote says athletic training and physical training programs require BIOL 2401 and 2402, and this plan uses BIOL 1408 and 1409 instead.
• Skip it if you live outside Texas and won't get the in-district rate. Out-of-state students pay $210 per credit, which is $12,600 for the degree, and that's a lot for two years of general education.

Six courses carry the PHED code, for 16 credits: PHED 1301 Foundations of Kinesiology, PHED 1304 Personal and Community Health, PHED 1306 First Aid, PHED 1164 Introduction to Physical Fitness and Wellness, PHED 1321 Principles of Athletic Coaching, and PHED 1338 Concepts of Physical Fitness.

Two biology courses add 8 credits. The other 36 credits are general education: U.S. History I and II, College Algebra, Public Speaking, Composition I and II, Theater Appreciation, American Literature II, Federal and Texas Government, Sociology, and General Psychology.

The catalog describes PHED 1338 as covering the development and implementation of fitness programs. That's the closest the plan gets to program design.

Courses the School Names

• PHED 1301 Foundations of Kinesiology
• PHED 1304 Personal & Community Health
• PHED 1306 First Aid
• PHED 1164 Introduction to Physical Fitness & Wellness
• PHED 1321 Principles of Athletic Coaching
• PHED 1338 Concepts of Physical Fitness

Standout Features

• Fully online associate degree in a Texas public community college at $108 per credit in-district (2026-27)
• Transfer articulation agreements with four-year universities

Angelina lists three online formats: 100% online on your own time, 100% online with live sessions, and HyFlex. Materials, assignments and exams are online with set deadlines. The program page doesn't say which format each course uses, so you'd check the schedule each term.

Success Coaches advise you on course sequencing and transfer. One footnote in the plan lets student athletic trainers swap a lecture course for three 1-hour practicum sections under the athletics staff, which is an on-campus activity.

SACSCOC accredits the college. The degree has no programmatic accreditation, and it isn't on our CAAHEP or CASCE lists.

That's normal for an associate degree, but it means the two big rule changes fall on the bachelor's you transfer into. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program.

Personal trainer certifications don't need a degree. Athletic training now needs a professional master's, so this associate degree is a starting point, not a shortcut.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page. A factor marked Peer Median had no published input, so it counts at half weight.

• The exercise science content is thin. Just 16 of the 60 credits have a PHED code, and the biology sequence is meant for non-majors.
• The named transfer pathways don't match this degree. Angelina's transfer page lists a Sam Houston State University path into Kinesiology, Clinical Exercise Science, but it's tied to the A.S. in Health Science. The Fields of Study list doesn't include kinesiology, either.
• The program page says you can find work as an athletic trainer, exercise physiologist or PE teacher, but each needs a bachelor's or more, and often a license or supervised experience.
• IPEDS shows a 29% graduation rate for the college and 11 awards in this field. Ask for the program's own completion numbers.
• Fees pile up around the tuition rate. The $50 per-course distance fee and course fees can add $1,000 or more.

• Which four-year kinesiology programs accept this degree with all 60 credits, and is any of that in a signed agreement?
• Would BIOL 1408 and 1409 satisfy the anatomy and physiology requirement at the school I plan to transfer to, or would I need BIOL 2401 and 2402 first?
• Are PHED 1301, 1304, 1321 and 1338 offered in self-paced or live-session sections, and how often?
• Do PHED 1164 and PHED 1306 require any in-person skill checks or a proctor for an online student?
• Which rate applies to me, in-district, out-of-district or out-of-state, and who confirms my residency classification?
• Can I use the athletic trainer practicum option if I'm an online student who doesn't live near Lufkin?

Public community college in Lufkin, Texas that averages 15 students per faculty member and offers 4-, 8- and 16-week terms. Its Health and Physical Education associate degree is a transfer-oriented kinesiology foundation, not a clinical exercise science program.

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