Concordia University-Chicago Kinesiology (BS) Online

This is a low-cost, fully asynchronous bachelor's built for adults who already have credits or a job. Tuition is $440 per credit, courses run eight weeks, and the transfer allowance is generous. But the kinesiology degree isn't on the CAAHEP or CASCE lists we pulled on September 29, 2026, so check ACSM's August 15, 2027 rule and NSCA's January 1, 2030 rule before you count on either credential.

Concordia University Chicago is a private Lutheran university in River Forest, Illinois, just outside the city. The Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology sits in its College of Health, Science & Technology and is delivered 100% online in asynchronous eight-week courses. There are no entrance exams, and you don't need prior college credit. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the university.

The degree totals 120 credits. Twelve courses, or 36 credits, make up the major. The rest is general education, electives and transfer credit. Every student also takes two theology courses, THY-2400 Biblical Readings in Redemptive History and THY-2700 The Christian Faith. The school reports 83 online kinesiology graduates last year, a figure that comes from the school itself.

Courses are asynchronous and run eight weeks, with no set class times. That pace is quick. Courses are chained by prerequisites, so falling behind in one holds up the next. The catalog lists the degree among its accelerated programs.

The page says faculty meet regularly with students about coursework and careers, and it lists career advisors, transfer credit evaluation and personalized academic planning. After you're admitted, an enrollment advisor contacts you to register, and payment is due before each course starts.

Who It Fits

• Adults with college credit they want counted. The program page says up to 90 credit hours transfer. If all 90 count, the remaining 30 credits cost $13,200 in tuition, and you can finish quickly in eight-week courses.
• Personal trainers and coaches who want a bachelor's behind their certification. The school names ACSM, NSCA, NASM and ACE certifications as common next steps, and the major includes Principles of Strength and Conditioning plus two Health and Fitness Programming Management courses.
• Students who might go on to graduate study. A 4+1 pathway lets you finish Concordia's Applied Exercise Science master's with one extra year, and the school lists physician assistant studies, chiropractic and public health as further-study areas.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants to sit for the ACSM exercise physiologist exam. From August 15, 2027, ACSM requires a CAAHEP-accredited program, and this degree isn't on that list. Compare online bachelor's programs in exercise science before you enroll.
• Students headed to physical therapy, PA or chiropractic school who haven't checked prerequisites. The general education science requirement is one physical science and one life science course, with a lab in one of them, and options include Consumer Chemistry. Many professional programs want a full science sequence, so ask each school you're targeting.
• Anyone who wants to avoid faith-based coursework. Two theology courses are required, and the school describes the degree as part of a Christian liberal arts education.

The major starts with KIN-1000 Physiological Basis of Exercise, KIN-1010 Evidence Based Practice in Exercise Science, KIN-1200 Functional Anatomy and KIN-1400 Health and Fitness Assessment. KIN-2000 Health Risk Appraisal, KIN-2200 Nutrition, Exercise, and Behavior and KIN-2400 Principles of Strength and Conditioning follow.

The catalog chains courses with C-or-higher prerequisites, so you can't jump ahead. KIN-3200 covers adult CPR and first aid, program setup and an introduction to periodization, and KIN-3400 applies programming to different health and fitness goals. The upper level adds KIN-4000 Exercise Psychology, KIN-4100 Applied Biomechanics and KIN-4200 Special Topics in Kinesiology. There's no internship or practicum on the list.

Outside the major you'll take English composition, speech, humanities and fine arts, social science, math and a lab science.

Courses the School Names

• Physiological Basis of Exercise
• Evidence-Based Practice in Exercise Science
• Functional Anatomy
• Health and Fitness Assessment
• Health Risk Appraisal
• Nutrition, Exercise, and Behavior
• Principles of Strength and Conditioning
• Health and Fitness Programming Management I & II
• Exercise Psychology
• Applied Biomechanics

Standout Features

• 4+1 pathway: graduates can finish the Applied Exercise Science MS with one extra year of study
• School says it ranked #1 nationwide by OnlineU and reports 83 online BS Kinesiology graduates last year, highest among comparable programs (school claim)
• Core includes Principles of Strength and Conditioning and Health and Fitness Programming Management I & II

Tuition for the online kinesiology degree is $440 per credit hour, and the school's Tuition Guarantee keeps your rate the same while you stay continuously enrolled. Other online undergraduate programs at Concordia list $505, so the kinesiology rate is a real discount. An $18 per credit technology fee applies, and you buy your own textbooks.

With no transfer credit, 120 credits cost $52,800 in tuition, or $54,960 with the technology fee. If 90 credits transfer, 30 credits cost $13,200, or $13,740 with the fee. If only 60 transfer, the remaining 60 credits cost $26,400 in tuition.

120 credits at $440 a credit comes to $52,800 in tuition, before fees.

Concordia University Chicago holds regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. The kinesiology degree has no programmatic accreditation, and it isn't on the CAAHEP or CASCE lists we pulled on September 29, 2026.

Personal trainer exams from ACSM, NSCA, NASM and ACE don't require a degree, so this bachelor's is an add-on there. Two rules matter for other credentials. Starting August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process.

The CSCS changes too. Starting January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Both rules would apply to this degree today, so ask whether Concordia has started either process.

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.

• Transfer rules disagree. The program snapshot says up to 90 credit hours, while the FAQ says up to 50% of the credits needed to graduate, which is 60 of 120. That's a $13,200 swing in tuition.
• No CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation turns two upcoming credential rules into hurdles instead of selling points.
• The science base is light. The general education science courses are entry-level options, and the major's own courses are introductions, such as an introduction to functional anatomy.
• Federal data shows a 36 percent graduation rate at Concordia Chicago overall. That covers the whole university, not this online program, but it's the only outcome number we have.
• The school calls itself top-ranked and cites an OnlineU ranking. Those are marketing claims, and they don't tell you how employers or graduate programs view the degree.

• Is transfer capped at 90 credit hours or at 50% of the credits needed to graduate, and can I get my transcript evaluated in writing before I enroll?
• Which eight-week terms start next, and how many courses can I take at once?
• Has the kinesiology program submitted a formal inquiry or Request for Accreditation Services to CAAHEP, or applied to CASCE?
• Which general education science courses meet the lab requirement, and do any match DPT or PA prerequisites?
• Does the $440 rate stay locked if I skip a term, and what counts as continuous enrollment?
• What GPA or grade does the 4+1 pathway to the master's require?

Private Christian university in River Forest, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Its College of Health, Science & Technology houses a Health Sciences & Human Performance division that runs an on-campus BA in Exercise Science plus fully online kinesiology, applied exercise science and exercise science PhD programs, with the online master's described as one of its most-enrolled.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 28 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 28 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 11 of 18, bachelor's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 12 of 12, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 17 of 23, bachelor's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 13 of 20, bachelor's
• Best for Parents Rank 4 of 6, bachelor's
• Best Degree Completion Programs Rank 21 of 34, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 20 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 13 of 23, bachelor's
• Best Christian Programs Rank 6 of 11, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 24 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Illinois Rank 1 of 1, bachelor's

• Applied Exercise Science (MS), online

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $575 per credit Score 62.4

• Exercise Science (PhD), online

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $775 per credit Score 36.5

• University of Toccoa Falls

  Exercise Science

  Georgia $400 per credit Score 52.8

• University of Missouri

  Bachelor of Science in Sport Science (Online)

  Missouri $841.70 per credit Score 52.9

• Methodist University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science (online)

  North Carolina $445 per credit Score 52.5

• Concordia University-Saint Paul

  Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science

  Minnesota $420 per credit Score 52.0