Lionel University Online Associate of Science in Exercise Science

Lionel's online associate degree is a personal trainer degree with real science courses behind it. You earn Lionel's own trainer credentials inside 90 quarter credits at a flat $333 a credit, with digital textbooks included. It works for career changers and working adults who want a first college degree. It's a poor fit if you need a bachelor's-level credential like the CSCS or ACSM-EP, since those require a four-year degree.

Lionel University is a for-profit school in Carpinteria, California, founded in 1988 by Dr. Fred Hatfield and Dr. Sal Arria and built entirely around exercise science. Chancellor Martin Rooney is listed on the program page, along with a Chief Academic Officer and a Dean of Academic Innovation and Graduate Studies.

The Associate of Science in Exercise Science is 100% online. Of the 90 quarter credits, 36 are core exercise science, 33 are general education, and 21 are a concentration you pick: Strength and Conditioning, Fitness Leadership and Management, Personal Training, or Wellness.

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

Courses run 5 to 10 weeks on a quarter calendar, with 24/7 access. The 2026 quarters begin January 5, April 6, July 6, and October 5, and a Session B start follows about five weeks into each quarter. For fall 2026 that means an application deadline of October 21 for the November 9 session.

The school says most students take 18 to 24 months. Nothing is on campus and there's no internship or thesis. Online proctoring is a $22.50 fee. Career Connect offers career coaching, resume and LinkedIn help, and job search tools, and the page says access is for life at no extra cost.

Who It Fits

• You want to train clients and would rather have a degree behind the certification. The first few terms build toward Lionel's Certified Personal Trainer credential, so you're working toward something you can use early.
• You already hold college credit, a certification, or military training. Lionel accepts up to 60 of the 90 credits, evaluates Joint Service Transcripts, and reviews your paperwork at no charge.
• You need cheap, predictable pricing. Tuition is one rate, books cost nothing, and there's no application fee or test score.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you plan to sit for the CSCS or become an ACSM exercise physiologist. Both need a bachelor's, and this is a two-year degree.
• Skip it if you expect to transfer everything to a public university later. DEAC is a national accreditor, so ask the receiving school in writing before you pay.
• Skip it if you want an internship or hands-on clinic hours. The program lists none.

The 36 core credits are all 4-credit courses: XSCI110 From Physical Culture to Exercise Science, XSCI130 Functional Anatomy and Physiology, XSCI240 Applied Biomechanics and Movement Analysis, XSCI242 Training Principles and Program Design, XSCI243 Movement and Performance Assessment Methods, NTR243 Cellular Nutrition, XSCI245 Exercise Programming for Special Populations, XSCI246 The Science of Behavior Change, and XSCI248 Client Acquisition and Practice Development in Health and Performance.

General education includes BIO105 Anatomy and Physiology with a lab, ENG110 English Composition, HIST102 U.S. History, MATH102 College Math, PSY102 General Psychology, and SOC101 Introduction to Sociology.

Your 21-credit concentration adds courses like XSCI255 Performance Enhancement and Training Science, XSCI280 Exercise Facility Administration and Leadership, XSCI258 Movement Dysfunction and Corrective Strategies, or HSCI255 Applied Coaching for Behavior Change. Every concentration includes PD101 and PD103, so 8 of the 21 credits are the same student success and career development classes.

Courses the School Names

• XSCI130 Functional Anatomy and Physiology
• XSCI240 Applied Biomechanics and Movement Analysis
• XSCI242 Training Principles and Program Design
• XSCI243 Movement and Performance Assessment Methods
• NTR243 Cellular Nutrition: Micronutrients, Hydration, and Supplementation
• XSCI245 Exercise Programming for Special Populations
• XSCI246 The Science of Behavior Change
• XSCI248 Client Acquisition and Practice Development in Health and Performance

Standout Features

• Earns Lionel Certified Personal Trainer and specialty certificates while completing the degree ($199 per certification course)
• Transfer of industry certifications, military training, JST and professional experience toward up to 60 credits
• Chancellor Martin Rooney is listed on the program page
• University founded by Dr. Fred Hatfield and Dr. Sal Arria; built exclusively around exercise science

Undergraduate tuition is $333 per credit for students living in the U.S., and digital textbooks are built in. Fees run $45 for technology and $25 for wellness each quarter, plus $22.50 for online proctoring.

Lionel's own estimate for the whole associate degree before transfer credit is $31,724. That's $29,970 in tuition, $1,194 for certification courses at $199 each, $360 in technology fees, and $200 in wellness fees. A full-time year of 45 credits comes to $15,862.

One detail matters for comparison shopping. These are quarter credits, and 90 of them equal a standard 60-credit associate degree. Priced per semester credit, $333 works out to $499.50. If you transfer the maximum 60 credits, the remaining 30 credits cost $9,990 in tuition.

90 quarter credits at $333 a credit comes to $29,970 in tuition, before fees.

Lionel is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, a national accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA, and it has held that accreditation since January 2009. The page also says NSCA designates Lionel an Educational Recognition Program institution. That's an institutional label, and it isn't the CASCE accreditation NSCA now uses.

The degree includes Lionel's Certified Personal Trainer and Master Certified Personal Trainer credentials plus specialty certificates, such as Special Populations Exercise Specialist and Behavior Change Specialist. The school says its trainer credential is recognized by the Health and Fitness Association. NSCA-CPT, ACSM-CPT, NASM-CPT, and ACE-CPT are separate exams from separate bodies, and none needs a degree.

The 2027 and 2030 rules only bite if you continue. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program, and from January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Check any bachelor's you choose against those lists.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• Lionel is for-profit and nationally accredited. If you transfer to a regionally accredited university, that school decides what counts, and Lionel's own bachelor's takes 180 quarter credits, with up to 120 transferable.
• The sticker rate hides the quarter-credit math. Per semester credit you're paying $499.50, and certification fees of $199 apiece add $1,194.
• The transfer numbers disagree. The program page and tuition page say up to 60 of 90 credits, while the FAQ says up to 70%, and experiential or exam credit can't exceed 25 percent of the degree.
• Lionel's credentials come from Lionel, not from NSCA, ACSM, NASM, or ACE. Those national exams are separate purchases.

• Which of my certifications, military records, and college courses count toward the 60-credit maximum, and can I get that in writing before I pay a deposit?
• Is the Certified Personal Trainer credential NCCA-accredited, and would a gym hiring today accept it in place of NASM or ACE?
• Which regionally accredited schools have accepted Lionel associate degrees for transfer in the past two years?
• Which six certification courses does the $1,194 estimate include, and can I skip any I don't want?
• What's the deadline and start date for the next Session B, and do fees change if I start mid-quarter?
• Do the concentrations include practical training, or is everything coursework and online exams?

Private for-profit, fully online university in Carpinteria, CA founded in 1988 by Dr. Fred Hatfield and Dr. Sal Arria and built exclusively around exercise science, with associate, bachelor's and master's degrees plus personal trainer certificates. Chancellor is fitness coach Martin Rooney.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 2 of 11, associate
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• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 2 of 11, associate
• Best Online Programs in California Rank 1 of 1, associate

• Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $333 per quarter credit Score 69.3

• Master of Science in Exercise Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $440 per quarter credit Score 61.3

• Georgia State University

  Kinesiology and Health, Exercise Science Pathway (Associate of Science)

  Georgia $105 per credit Score 66.8

• Lake Region State College

  Fitness Trainer Technician (Associate in Applied Science)

  North Dakota $238.65 per credit Score 64.2

• University of the Cumberlands

  Exercise & Sport Science, A.A.S. (online)

  Kentucky $220 per credit Score 56.0

• Angelina College

  Associate of Arts in Health and Physical Education

  Texas $210 per credit Score 49.8