Methodist University Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science (Online)

Methodist University's online B.S. in Exercise & Sport Science is a transfer-friendly bachelor's. It's 124 credits at $445 each, up to 93 of them can come from other colleges, and courses run in eight-week asynchronous terms with six starts a year. If you already have college credit, the bill can shrink fast.

It also offers a guaranteed admission interview at Methodist's own physical therapy and occupational therapy doctoral programs. But the degree isn't on the CAAHEP or CASCE lists we checked, so it's a weaker fit if your goal is ACSM-EP or CSCS eligibility after the 2027 and 2030 rule changes.

Methodist University is a private nonprofit university in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with a relationship to the United Methodist Church. Its online programs are marketed with Risepoint, but Methodist keeps control of the curriculum, teaching and admissions. The degree is 124 semester hours, 57 of them in the major, taken in eight-week terms with two terms per semester.

You can finish in as little as 2.5 years, and the school's range runs up to four. You need a high school diploma or GED. Unofficial transcripts earn provisional acceptance, and official ones follow. There's no application fee, applications are due two weeks before each start, and you hear back in about one to two weeks. Non-native English speakers need the TOEFL.

Courses are 100% online and asynchronous, so you study when it fits your week. Terms run eight weeks, two per semester, and you can enroll full or part time. The internships are where you take charge. In each internship course you arrange a placement at a departmentally approved venue in consultation with your instructor.

The KIN 3720 Internship 1 course requires 50 hours of internship per credit hour. The courses page also puts KIN 4120 Lab Methods in Exercise Science inside an online curriculum, with emphasis on measuring and analyzing exercise tests in laboratory settings. Online students get access to all academic support services, including the tutoring and writing centers.

Who It Fits

• Transfer students and adults returning to college. Methodist accepts up to 93 credits, which is 75% of the program, generally at a C or higher from regionally accredited institutions. Transferology shows what will count before you apply.
• Pre-physical therapy and pre-occupational therapy students who want Methodist's doctoral programs. The Monarch Momentum pathway is recommended coursework, and finishing it with the admission requirements earns a guaranteed interview and first shot at a seat. The interview doesn't guarantee admission.
• Future personal trainers and strength coaches who want a degree behind them. KIN 4115 Personal Training is written to prepare you for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam, and KIN 4110 Strength & Conditioning is written toward the NSCA CSCS. Methodist is also a Yellow Ribbon institution for service members and their families.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs a CAAHEP- or CASCE-accredited degree. Methodist's pages state no programmatic accreditation. See the certification-ready list for programs that qualify.
• Students starting from zero credits who are watching cost. Without transfer credit the tuition is $55,180, before the $150 graduation fee and textbooks.
• Anyone who doesn't want to arrange internships. Two internship courses are required, and you set them up yourself with your instructor.

The major's 57 hours mix science, applied training and management. The science spine is KIN 2850 Foundations of Anatomy, KIN 2860 Foundations of Human Physiology, KIN 2900 Structural Kinesiology, KIN 3040 Physiology of Exercise and KIN 3120 Biomechanics.

Applied courses include KIN 1300 Weight Training Techniques, KIN 2400 Sport and Fitness Nutrition, KIN 2590 Prevention & Care of Athletic Injuries, KIN 4115 Personal Training, KIN 4110 Strength & Conditioning, KIN 4120 Lab Methods in Exercise Science and KIN 4200 Clinical Exercise Physiology.

Psychology and management fill in with KIN 3080 Sport Psychology, KIN 3070 Fitness and Exercise Psychology, KIN 4000 Facility Management and HCA 3050 Health Care Leadership. It closes with KIN 4700 Exercise Science Capstone, a 3-credit review the school says prepares you for the ACSM exercise physiologist and clinical exercise physiologist exams and the NSCA CSCS exam.

Courses the School Names

• KIN 1300 Weight Training Techniques
• KIN 2400 Sport and Fitness Nutrition
• KIN 2590 Prevention & Care of Athletic Injuries
• KIN 2900 Structural Kinesiology
• KIN 3040 Physiology of Exercise
• KIN 3120 Biomechanics
• KIN 4110 Strength & Conditioning
• KIN 4115 Personal Training
• KIN 4120 Lab Methods in Exercise Science
• KIN 4200 Clinical Exercise Physiology
• KIN 4700 Exercise Science Capstone

Standout Features

• Monarch Momentum pathway with guaranteed admission interview to MU's DPT and OT programs
• Transfer up to 93 of 124 credits (75% of the program), generally C or higher from regionally accredited institutions
• Includes KIN 4120 Lab Methods in Exercise Science and KIN 4200 Clinical Exercise Physiology in an online curriculum
• Six starts per year in 8-week terms; no application fee

Full price is $445 per credit times 124 credits, or $55,180. Methodist's tuition page calls that the total minus fees. A $150 graduation fee is billed on top, and textbooks and supplies are extra. First Aid & CPR certification carries a small additional fee.

Transfer credit is where this program changes shape. Transfer the maximum 93 credits and you'd take 31 at Methodist for $13,795. Transfer 60 credits and you'd take 64 for $28,480. The tuition page says the estimate is based on the current school year and can change.

124 credits at $445 a credit comes to $55,180 in tuition, before fees.

Methodist is accredited by SACSCOC, the regional accreditor. The program itself lists no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation, and it isn't on either list we pulled on September 29, 2026. Two dates matter. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process, and ACSM-CEP with a bachelor's also needs 1,200 clinical hours.

From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Finish in about 2.5 years and you can sit the CSCS before 2030 on today's bachelor's-plus-CPR/AED rule. The capstone says it prepares you for these exams, but that isn't the same as eligibility. Our CSCS guide covers the rule. Personal trainer exams don't require a degree at all.

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.

• No programmatic accreditation is stated, which limits the ACSM and CSCS paths described above.
• Two internships are yours to arrange. If you don't live near Fayetteville, expect to find your own venue and get it approved.
• Without transfer credit, the full 124 credits at $445 comes to $55,180 before other fees.
• Methodist's federal graduation rate is 44 percent. That number covers the whole university, but it's worth asking how online students do.
• The guaranteed doctoral interview is not admission, and the pathway lists recommended coursework, not a promise that your prerequisites are complete.

• Which courses make up the Monarch Momentum pathway, and what GPA does the DPT or OT program need for the guaranteed interview?
• How will my transfer credits apply, and how many of the 57 major hours can be transferred?
• How are the two internships arranged for someone who doesn't live near Fayetteville?
• How does KIN 4120 Lab Methods in Exercise Science work online?
• Is the program pursuing CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation?
• Which military benefits beyond Yellow Ribbon apply to online students?
• Can my current job count as an internship venue?

Methodist University is a private nonprofit university in Fayetteville, NC, a Yellow Ribbon institution recognized as military friendly. Its online programs (run with Risepoint) include a 100% online B.S. in Exercise & Sport Science that builds toward the university's DPT and OT doctoral programs.

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