Montreat College Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Online)

Montreat's online B.S. in Kinesiology is a real kinesiology bachelor's with exercise physiology, biomechanics and exercise prescription, taught in 8-week courses with six starts a year. Tuition is $445 per credit for everyone, military students included. It's built for adults who already hold college credit, and it comes from a small Christian college. It isn't accredited by CAAHEP or CASCE, so it won't satisfy the newest certification rules.

Montreat College is a small private Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina. Its School of Adult and Graduate Studies has served working adults for more than 30 years, and this bachelor's is one of its online programs. The college describes the degree as faith-integrated, with a theological perspective on the human body.

You'll finish 120 credit hours: a 39-credit general education core, 41 credits of general electives that include the prerequisites, and a 40-credit kinesiology major core. At least 27 credits must be at the 3000 level or above.

The admission requirements are a 2.0 GPA on prior college work and official transcripts.

The program is 100% online, and all courses are eight-week sessions, with two sessions in each semester. Semesters run spring, summer and fall. Full-time means 12 credit hours a semester, which is two courses in each session.

Montreat says it has six start dates a year for most programs. The next start listed is October 19, with an enrollment deadline of October 14. One kinesiology alumna on the page says she finished in a year because Montreat accepted many of her credits.

Ask how the Anatomy and Physiology lab and the Biomechanics lab work online. The page's course list marks the anatomy course with the word Fee, and it doesn't explain the lab format.

Who It Fits

• Adults with credit already banked. The page says finishing can take one to four years depending on transfer credit, and it accepts ACE-verified CLEP, DSST and military training.
• Personal trainers, coaches and wellness staff who want a bachelor's. The major covers exercise prescription, applied exercise physiology and athletic injury prevention.
• Military-connected students. Montreat charges $445 per credit under its Department of Defense agreement and accepts VA benefits, including Chapters 30, 33 and 35.
• Students who want a Christian college setting. The faith-integrated curriculum is part of the program's design.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want to sit for the ACSM-EP or ACSM-CEP after August 15, 2027. Candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program, and Montreat's pages list no programmatic accreditation.
• Skip it if you plan to take the CSCS after January 1, 2030. U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program, and this degree isn't on that list.
• Skip it if you want an internship or supervised clinical hours. The requirements list no field experience.
• Skip it if you want a secular curriculum. The page ties the degree to a Christ-centered, faith-integrated approach.

The kinesiology major core is 40 credits. Foundations of Kinesiology and Lifelong Motor Development open the sequence. Physiology of Exercise studies the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, neural and muscular systems during activity, and Applied Physiology of Exercise adds environmental physiology and ergogenic aids.

Biomechanics includes a lab focused on the math of human movement. Exercise Prescription covers programs for people of different ages, builds and fitness levels. Behavioral Aspects of Sport, Human Nutrition, Health, and Research Methods and Evaluation in Kinesiology fill out the major.

Athletic training shows up twice: KINE3321 Prevention and Treatment of Athletic Injuries and KINE3312 Intro to Athletic Training. Anatomy and Physiology with lab comes first, and PSYC1100 and PHIL3401 are prerequisites.

Courses the School Names

• KINE3100 Foundations of Kinesiology
• KINE3200 Lifelong Motor Development
• KINE3421 Physiology of Exercise
• KINE3450 Applied Physiology of Exercise
• KINE3424 Exercise Prescription
• KINE3500 Biomechanics
• KINE3321 Prevention and Treatment of Athletic Injuries
• KINE3300 Behavioral Aspects of Sport
• KINE3400 Research Methods and Evaluation in Kinesiology
• KINE2411 Human Nutrition

Standout Features

• Faith-integrated kinesiology with a theological perspective on the human body
• Adult-learner format: six start dates a year, 8-week courses, credit for CLEP/DSST/military training via ACE
• Tuition described as nearly 25% lower than national average for private colleges

Tuition is $445 per credit hour for 2026-27, so 120 credits comes to $53,400 before transfer credit. Montreat adds a $250 student fee each semester and a $100 graduation fee. Ten full-time semesters would add $2,500 in student fees, and the total would be $56,000.

Transfer credit changes the bill a lot. If 60 credits transfer, the remaining 60 credits cost $26,700 in tuition. You must complete two terms and 32 credits at Montreat, which is at least $14,240 in tuition.

Military students pay the same $445. Employees of partner North Carolina companies may qualify for a 10 percent tuition discount.

120 credits at $445 a credit comes to $53,400 in tuition, before fees.

Montreat is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The kinesiology degree has no programmatic accreditation, and its page lists no certification prep.

From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited program, or one in the process. From January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the NSCA's CSCS need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program.

This degree isn't on either list, so check our accreditation guide if either credential is your goal. Montreat also says the degree is a foundation for graduate study in fields like physiotherapy and sports psychology, so confirm prerequisites with the graduate school.

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 accreditation route to the 2027 and 2030 certification rules. If you want those exams, you'd have to add a separate accredited degree.
• The program page lists career opportunities like licensed clinical professional counselor and director of a human services agency, which don't match a kinesiology degree. The FAQ lists athletic training, wellness facility management and sport labs instead.
• Course codes disagree. Two courses list a prerequisite of EXSC3421 while the course is titled KINE3421 Physiology of Exercise.
• The clinical side is thin. The list has no exercise testing course and no internship, so it's a broad kinesiology degree, not clinical exercise physiology.
• Montreat's federal six-year graduation rate is 50 percent. That covers the college, not this degree.

• How are the Anatomy and Physiology and Biomechanics labs done online, and which courses carry a fee?
• What's the correct prerequisite for KINE3450 and KINE3424, EXSC3421 or KINE3421?
• How many of my credits will transfer, and how many general education courses would I still need?
• What's the most credit I can bring in and still meet the 32-credit minimum at Montreat, and what would the total cost with student fees?
• Is there any internship or practicum option, and can I arrange one at my job?
• Which four-year plan in the catalog applies to me, and why are PSYC1100 and PHIL3401 prerequisites for the major?
• Has Montreat considered CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation for this degree?

Small Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina whose School of Adult and Graduate Studies has served adult students for over 30 years; online programs use 8-week courses with six starts a year.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 34 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 34 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 13 of 18, bachelor's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 1 of 12, bachelor's
• Best for Military Students Rank 11 of 21, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 20 of 23, bachelor's
• Best Degree Completion Programs Rank 26 of 34, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 24 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 16 of 23, bachelor's
• Best Christian Programs Rank 9 of 11, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 26 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in North Carolina Rank 2 of 3, bachelor's

• Master of Science in Kinesiology (Online)

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $630 per credit Score 49.8

• Florida Atlantic University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion

  Florida $799.72 per credit Score 47.8

• Lewis-Clark State College

  Kinesiology: Coaching (BA/BS)

  Idaho $423 per credit Score 46.9

• Eastern Oregon University

  Bachelor of Science/Arts in Health & Human Performance, Exercise Science Concentration

  Oregon $338 per quarter credit Score 46.7

• Bryan University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Fitness, and Nutrition Management (Completion Degree)

  Arizona Score 46.6