Concordia University-Saint Paul Online Doctor of Education in Kinesiology (Emphases: Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, Exercise and Sport Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning)

Concordia St. Paul's online Ed.D. in Kinesiology is a 61-credit practice doctorate for people who already hold a master's and want a terminal degree for leadership, wellness or college teaching. At $690 per credit it runs $42,090 before transfer credit, with no GRE and no comprehensive exam. It doesn't lead to any license, and its pages disagree on course codes, so get the current plan of study in writing.

The doctorate lives on its own CSP Global kinesiology site. You choose one of four emphases: Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, Exercise and Sport Nutrition, or Strength and Conditioning. Each one is 49 credits of coursework plus a 12-credit dissertation. You need a master's with a 3.0 GPA, an online application and a writing sample from master's-level work. The next start is November 2, 2026, and applications close October 19, 2026.

The school says Ed.D. students typically work firsthand with clients rather than mostly with other scholars. It pitches the degree at leadership roles in corporate wellness, higher education and professional sports organizations, plus college teaching. The sister Ph.D. is the research version.

Every emphasis shares a 10-credit core: KHS 7000 Current Issues and Trends in Kinesiology, DOC 7000 Professional Ethics and four one-credit dissertation seminars that take you from a drafted introduction to a finished proposal manuscript. The 12 research credits are Research Methods, Data Analysis, Quantitative and Qualitative Research, and Action Research.

In the Exercise Science emphasis, 27 credits cover topics like Medical Aspects of Exercise and Disease Prevention, Advanced Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise and Advanced Exercise Prescription.

Other emphases swap in their own courses. Exercise Physiology adds Physiology of Skeletal Muscle, Exercise and the Endocrine System and Clinical Exercise Assessment. Strength and Conditioning adds Scientific Principles of Strength and Conditioning, Exercise and Fitness Assessment and Program Design for Special Populations. The dissertation itself is 12 credits under DOC 7900.

Courses the School Names

• KHS7010 Medical Aspects of Exercise and Disease Prevention
• KHS7020 Exercise and Health Behavior Change
• KHS7100 Advanced Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise
• KHS7200 Advanced Biomechanics in Exercise Science
• KHS7210 Advanced Exercise Physiology
• KHS7230 Advanced Exercise Prescription
• KHS7000 Issues and Trends in Kinesiology
• DOC7500 Data Analysis

Standout Features

• No GRE/GMAT and no comprehensive exam
• Four emphasis areas within the same doctorate
• Dissertation seminars DOC 7410-7440 built into the first credits
• Applied focus with 12 credits of research methods including Action Research in Kinesiology

Who It Fits

• Coaches, trainers and wellness directors who already have a master's. The Ed.D. is built around applied projects, including a 3-credit Action Research in Kinesiology course, so your job can supply the problem you study.
• Clinicians with a professional doctorate. Holders of a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic), OTD (Occupational Therapy Doctorate) or DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) can transfer up to 21 credits, and CSP calls the doctorate a fit for clinicians moving into academia or research.
• CSP's own master's graduates. Someone with the M.S. in Exercise Science may qualify for up to 24 transfer credits, which leaves 37 credits, or $25,530 at today's rate.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone chasing a license or a certification. No credential exam attaches to this degree, and jobs like personal trainer don't require a doctorate. If clinical credentials are the goal, compare online exercise physiology degrees.
• Anyone who wants a research-first academic career. The school positions the Ph.D. for research and the Ed.D. for applied work, with 12 research credits here against 18 in the Ph.D. Look at the online doctorates in exercise science side by side.
• Anyone who needs a lab. The pages describe a 100% online degree, so your dissertation has to work with data you can gather where you live and work.

Tuition is $690 per credit in every emphasis. Across the Ed.D.'s 61 credits, that's $42,090 before transfer credit.

Transfer credit moves the total a lot. A related master's can bring up to 12 credits, leaving 49 to pay for, or $33,810. A DC, OTD or DPT can bring up to 21, leaving 40, or $27,600. CSP's own exercise science master's can bring up to 24, leaving 37, or $25,530.

The tuition page also carries a second listing headed '2024-2025 Cost Per Credit' with the same $690, so confirm the rate for your start term.

61 credits at $690 a credit comes to $42,090 in tuition, before fees.

The degree is 100% online with no GRE, no GMAT and no comprehensive exam. You don't finish all coursework before starting the dissertation. Four one-credit seminars embed the proposal work in your coursework, and you work with a faculty mentor, then an advisor and committee.

CSP says students can graduate in as few as 3 years, and most take 4. One student on the page says they like the eight-week classes and the slow build toward the dissertation, which is a testimonial rather than a policy, so ask for the official term length.

The doctorate's director, Dr. Matthew Buns, studies expertise in sport and the mental factors behind motor skills. Another listed faculty member focuses on public health, epidemiology and program administration.

Concordia University, St. Paul is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The doctorate has no programmatic accreditation, and the CAAHEP list (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) covers bachelor's exercise science and master's exercise physiology programs. So the ACSM rule starting August 15, 2027 doesn't attach to this degree, and the CSCS rule starting January 1, 2030 concerns your bachelor's, not this doctorate.

What the Ed.D. gives you is a terminal degree. The school says graduates can pursue leadership roles and teach at the post-secondary level, and it notes some positions require additional education, experience or certification.

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.

• Course codes conflict. The curriculum lists DOC 7300 Action Research and DOC 7900 Dissertation, while the descriptions below it use KHS 7800 and KHS 7950 and add a measurement course the list leaves out. The catalog matches the DOC codes.
• The job list is broad. It includes occupational therapist and sports medicine physician, which this degree doesn't qualify you for, along with personal trainer roles that don't need a doctorate.
• There's no lab component. Everything happens online, so the research you can do depends on data you can collect remotely.
• The tuition page repeats $690 under a 2024-2025 heading, so the current rate needs confirming.

• Which plan of study is current for my emphasis, and can you send the version whose course codes match the catalog?
• How long is a term, and how many courses do doctoral students take at once?
• Who chairs dissertations in the Exercise Physiology or Strength and Conditioning emphasis, and how many students does each chair supervise?
• Is $690 the rate for the term I'd start, and what fees come on top?
• Can you confirm my transfer credit in writing before I pay a deposit?
• Is the dissertation defense held by video, and can I run my study at my workplace under your review board?
• Where have recent Ed.D. graduates found teaching or leadership roles?

Concordia University, St. Paul is a private Lutheran university in Saint Paul, Minnesota accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1967. Its online arm, CSP Global, runs a full online exercise science ladder from a B.A. through master's degrees to a PhD/EdD in Kinesiology.

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• Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science

  B.A., Bachelor's

  Online With Campus Requirements $420 per credit Score 52.0

• Master of Science in Strength and Conditioning

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $475 per credit Score 57.9

• Master of Science in Exercise Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $475 per credit Score 50.9

• Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (emphases: Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, Exercise and Sport Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning)

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $690 per credit Score 44.5

• Old Dominion University

  Doctor of Applied Science in Kinesiology (DAS)

  Virginia $662 per credit Score 45.8

• Temple University

  Athletic Training, Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT)

  Pennsylvania $1,225 per credit Score 46.6

• A T Still University of Health Sciences

  Doctor of Athletic Training (post-professional)

  Missouri $690 per credit Score 47.3

• University of North Carolina at Greensboro

  Doctor of Education in Kinesiology (Online)

  North Carolina $667.04 per credit Score 49.1