Kansas State University Kinesiology Bachelor's Degree (BS, Online)

K-State's online bachelor's in kinesiology is a 120-credit degree from a public university, taught by the same professors who teach on campus. You pay $435.71 per credit whether you live in Kansas or not, which puts tuition at $52,285.20 before transfer credit and fees.

It suits students who want a broad kinesiology base for health professional school or fitness work. The pages name no accreditation or certification prep, so it won't carry you into every credential on its own.

Kansas State University is a public school in Manhattan, Kansas. The online B.S. in Kinesiology sits in the School of Health Sciences, part of the College of Health and Human Sciences, and K-State says on-campus professors teach it. The degree is 100% online.

K-State describes kinesiology as the study of physical activity, from how muscles and cells produce movement to how people exercise, play and work. The program combines biomechanical, physiological and sociological views of movement. That's broader than exercise science, and the catalog files the degree under the federal exercise physiology program code.

Admission follows K-State's general requirements. The page lists no program-specific GPA.

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

Tuition for fall 2026 through summer 2027 is $435.71 per credit for residents and non-residents. Over 120 credits that's $52,285.20 before transfer credit and fees.

K-State's cost page adds a College of Health and Human Sciences fee of $75 per credit and a kinesiology department fee of $15 per credit. It says the college or department that runs each course charges its fee, but it doesn't spell out how the two combine on a kinesiology course.

K-State's own annual estimate for Manhattan Online is $14,410 for tuition and mandatory fees at 30 credits. Four years at that pace comes to $57,640, plus about $1,052 a year for books and supplies.

120 credits at $435.71 a credit comes to $52,285 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Students who want to keep several paths open. K-State's career list runs from personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach to physical therapist, occupational therapist and physician assistant, and it says some careers need more education.
• Transfer students. K-State publishes online tools that show how your courses transfer by course or by program. If you've finished 24 or more college credits, you need a 2.0 cumulative GPA on that coursework.
• Out-of-state students. The online rate is the same for residents and non-residents, so where you live doesn't change tuition.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs CSCS eligibility after 2029 or an ACSM-EP path after August 15, 2027. K-State doesn't appear among the 69 CASCE listings we pulled on September 29, 2026, or on our CAAHEP list.
• Students who want a program built around certification prep. The page mentions none.
• Shoppers who compare on price alone. Browse our cheapest online exercise science degrees first, then weigh the fees below.

The catalog requires 120 credits and lays them out in blocks. K-State Core takes 34 to 36 credits, plus one College of Health and Human Sciences course and a math requirement that falls back on STAT 225. Major support is 18 credits, including 8 in anatomy and physiology.

Professional studies is 48 credits. That's 18 in lower-level kinesiology, one exercise physiology course, one exercise behavioral science course, and 24 in upper-level kinesiology electives, with at least 3 at the 600 level or above. Another 14 credits are unrestricted electives.

That elective room is your steering wheel. You can lean toward physiology, behavior or a health professional school prerequisite list. You need a C or better in kinesiology courses and a 2.2 GPA across them. Physical therapy programs set their own prerequisites, so compare each list with the catalog. Our guide to exercise science and pre-physical therapy can help.

Standout Features

• Taught by on-campus K-State professors
• Combines biomechanical, physiological and sociological perspectives on physical activity
• Online transfer equivalency tools by course and program curriculum

K-State's cost tables list this program under Manhattan Online, and professors from the on-campus faculty teach the courses.

Application deadlines for transfer students are August 1 for fall, January 1 for spring and May 1 for summer, with a $40 application fee for U.S. applicants. K-State says it takes 4 to 6 weeks to process an application once everything arrives.

If you didn't meet admission standards, K-State says you can contact an online admissions representative about other pathways, and you may be eligible for conditional admission.

K-State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the regional accreditor for the university. The program pages name no programmatic accreditation and no certification prep.

That matters for two rules. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. This degree isn't on either list we checked.

Personal trainer exams from ACSM, NSCA, NASM and ACE don't require a degree, so a K-State degree can sit beside one of those.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• No programmatic accreditation or certification prep is stated, so the ACSM and NSCA rules coming in 2027 and 2030 can close some doors.
• The fee structure is unclear. The $75 college fee and $15 department fee are listed, but the pages don't say how they stack for a kinesiology course.
• The bachelor's runs 120 credits and costs $52,285.20 in tuition alone, which is a serious sum without transfer credit.
• Course titles live in K-State's catalog, not on the program page, so ask an advisor for a degree map before you commit. K-State's federal graduation rate is 71 percent for the whole university.

• Which upper-level kinesiology electives are offered online each term, and does any course require an in-person lab or exam?
• Do kinesiology courses carry both the $75 college fee and the $15 department fee per credit?
• How many of my community college or military credits transfer, and can you send the equivalency in writing?
• Which courses satisfy the exercise physiology and exercise behavioral science requirements online?
• Does this degree cover the prerequisites for the physical therapy, occupational therapy or physician assistant schools I'm considering?
• Does K-State plan to seek CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation for this degree?

Public university in Manhattan, Kansas; the online BS in Kinesiology is housed in the School of Health Sciences (College of Health and Human Sciences) and taught by on-campus professors.

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• Citadel Military College of South Carolina

  Strength and Conditioning, B.S. Degree Completion Program

  South Carolina $520 per credit Score 60.7

• Pennsylvania Western University

  Exercise Science (Human Performance and Wellness), BS

  Pennsylvania $354 per credit Score 60.4

• University of Southern Mississippi

  Fitness and Nutrition, B.S.

  Mississippi $433.59 per credit Score 60.2

• Oregon State University

  Kinesiology (B.S.), Ecampus

  Oregon $409 per quarter credit Score 59.9