Bryan University Online Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Fitness, and Nutrition Management (Completion Degree)

Bryan's online bachelor's is a completion degree for people who already hold about 60 credits, most often from Bryan's own associate degree. The 60 Bryan credits cost about $13,550.

What you learn is a mix of exercise programming, nutrition coaching and fitness business management, so it fits future gym managers, nutrition coaches and studio owners better than future clinicians. Bryan says it qualifies you to sit for the CSCS, but read the 2030 rule first.

Bryan University is an online-first for-profit school in Tempe, Arizona. It's accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), and federal data show a 41 percent graduation rate across the whole school. This is a degree completion program, so you don't start from zero. You arrive with a block transfer of at least 60 credits and finish the other 60 at Bryan.

Bryan's catalog says students who complete its Personal Trainer Certificate and Applied Exercise and Fitness associate degree can transfer all 60 credits. Other applicable associate degrees may also be considered.

The Bryan portion is 15 core courses (45 credits) and 15 general education credits, taken two 8-week courses at a time over about 20 months.

NWCCU is a regional accreditor, and Bryan's seven-year grant covers all its programs. No programmatic accreditation from CAAHEP or CASCE is listed.

Bryan says graduates qualify to sit for the NSCA's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam. Today NSCA asks for a bachelor's degree. But from January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need that degree from a CASCE-accredited program, so a Bryan degree may not qualify you to register after that date.

The ACSM exercise physiologist route wants a bachelor's in exercise science, exercise physiology or kinesiology, and from August 15, 2027 the degree must come from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one in process. Bryan isn't on that list either. What Bryan includes is NASM's Certified Nutrition Coach preparation with one exam attempt.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs, CSCS Certification Requirements.

Who It Fits

• Bryan associate graduates who want to keep going. The credits carry over, the courseware is included and you're already used to the video assignments and eight-week pace. See the Bryan associate degree review for what you'd bring with you.
• Working trainers who want to move into management or ownership. Four courses cover ethics and entrepreneurship, strategic management and leadership, sales and marketing, and economics for the fitness professional.
• Trainers who want to coach nutrition. Bryan builds in application of nutrition, nutrition for special populations, sports nutrition and ergogenic aids counseling, with one attempt at the NASM Certified Nutrition Coach exam included.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone planning physical therapy school, clinical exercise physiology or an ACSM exercise physiologist credential. The degree has no chemistry, no lab sciences and no clinical hours. Start with our online bachelor's degrees in exercise science and look for accreditation.
• People who want the CSCS long term. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program, and Bryan isn't on the CASCE list we pulled.
• Anyone paying for a Bryan associate degree first just to qualify for this one. A community college associate may cost less if Bryan accepts it as a block transfer.

Roughly a third of the core is exercise science. FNM-300 Advanced Functional Anatomy and Physiology looks at how muscles produce joint movement and adapt over time. FNM-305 Advanced Screening and Testing covers body fat, cardiovascular conditioning and sport performance tests. FNM-315 Advanced Exercise Prescription targets clients with diabetes, pregnancy, heart disease, hypertension and osteoporosis. FNM-320 covers rest and recovery, and FNM-330 corrective exercise.

Another chunk is nutrition: FNM-405, FNM-415, FNM-425 and FNM-440. FNM-335 studies epidemiology of physical activity and nutrition, and FNM-310 the psychology of exercise.

The last chunk is business. FNM-400, FNM-410, FNM-420 and FNM-430 cover ethics, leadership, marketing and revenue planning. There's no internship or thesis. General education adds 15 credits at Bryan, and you bring another 15 by transfer.

Courses the School Names

• Advanced Functional Anatomy and Physiology
• Advanced Screening and Testing
• Advanced Exercise Prescription
• Rest and Recovery Strategies
• Corrective Impairment Strategies
• Physical Activity and Nutrition Epidemiology
• Sports Nutrition
• Ergogenic Aids Counseling
• Nutrition and Special Populations
• Business Ethics and Entrepreneurship

Standout Features

• Aligned with NASM and NSCA competencies; qualifies graduates to sit for the CSCS
• Combines exercise science, sports nutrition and fitness business (nutrition coaching, ergogenic aids counseling, entrepreneurship)

Bryan's schedule is $8,000 for year one, $4,000 for year two and $1,550 for a partial third year, about $13,550 including a $25 registration fee. Books and courseware are included, and Bryan locks your rate when you enroll. That works out to roughly $226 per Bryan credit, and Bryan says tuition drops as you move up its credential ladder.

The number leaves out what your first 60 credits cost. Bryan's own associate degree is about $32,325, so the ladder from associate to bachelor's is $45,875 for 120 credits, or about $382 per credit.

If you bring a community college associate degree and Bryan accepts it, your total could be far lower. Compare that with Blinn's associate degree, which costs $8,640 for in-district Texans.

The format matches Bryan's associate degree. You take two 8-week courses at a time, do weekly homework whenever you like, and attend optional live sessions that are recorded. Some assignments are role-plays and skill demonstrations that you record on a mobile-friendly video platform.

Bryan gives you a personal success coach, tutoring on request and a career services advisor. Faculty in the exercise programs hold master's degrees in areas such as exercise and sport studies and kinesiology.

Expect a business-and-coaching flavor, not lab work. The plan has no campus visit or internship. Twenty months of steady coursework leaves little slack.

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

• You can't start this degree without about 60 credits, so the true price includes whatever those cost.
• The CSCS promise has an expiration date for U.S. candidates. After January 1, 2030 the exam requires a CASCE-accredited bachelor's, which Bryan doesn't have.
• It's a fitness management degree, not a science-heavy bachelor's, and it isn't accepted for the ACSM exercise physiologist path after August 15, 2027.
• Bryan's catalog has two versions of this program, one effective October 20, 2025 and an earlier one, so confirm which applies to you.
• Bryan is for-profit, and a graduate school or employer decides what your credits are worth.

• Which catalog version applies to me, and do the courses differ from the current program page?
• Will Bryan accept my associate degree as a 60-credit block transfer, and does it include the 15 general education credits?
• Is Bryan pursuing CASCE accreditation so graduates can sit for the CSCS after January 1, 2030?
• How much would tuition drop if prior credit shortens the 20 months, given the $8,000, $4,000 and $1,550 schedule?
• Does the included NASM Certified Nutrition Coach attempt cover the exam fee, and what happens if I don't pass?
• Which graduate programs have accepted Bryan graduates for admission?
• Is the program approved for GI Bill benefits through the Arizona State Approving Agency?

Bryan University is an online-first private for-profit university headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, with a Toronto branch campus, and its exercise programs are built around NASM-aligned personal training and fitness coaching. Its stackable ladder runs from a personal trainer certificate to an associate degree to a bachelor's completion degree.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 37 of 46, bachelor's
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• Best for Working Adults Rank 21 of 23, bachelor's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 18 of 20, bachelor's
• Best Degree Completion Programs Rank 28 of 34, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 26 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 4 of 4, bachelor's

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