New Mexico State University Online Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Concentration in Applied Exercise Science)

New Mexico State's online B.S. in Kinesiology, with an Applied Exercise Science concentration, is a low-cost bachelor's from a public land-grant university. Every student pays a flat $395.40 per credit, active-duty military pay $250, and New Mexico residents may cover tuition with the Opportunity Scholarship. Its pages list no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation and no internship, so it suits pre-health and wellness students better than future clinical exercise physiologists.

New Mexico State University is a public land-grant school in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and its Global Campus runs this degree online. The concentration is Applied Exercise Science, and the program page describes studying physiological, psychological and biomechanical function plus the effects of age, injury and disease.

The degree is 120 credits, and 48 of them must be in courses numbered 300 or above. Transfer students need a 2.0 college GPA and 24 completed credit hours. First-time freshmen need one of a 2.75 high school GPA, a top-20% class rank, or an ACT of 21 or SAT of 1060.

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

Tuition is a flat $395.40 per credit hour for every online student, so 120 credits comes to $47,448 before fees and transfer credit. Course fees, textbooks and equipment are extra. Western Undergraduate Exchange discounts don't apply to Global Campus programs.

Transferring the maximum 90 credits leaves 30 to pay for, or $11,862. NMSU budgets $1,290 a year for books and supplies. If you're a New Mexico resident who qualifies for the Opportunity Scholarship, tuition may be covered, and an advisor can pre-check your eligibility.

120 credits at $395.40 a credit comes to $47,448 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• New Mexico residents earning a first bachelor's degree. The Opportunity Scholarship can cover up to 100% of tuition and required course fees, and NMSU's budget table shows $0 tuition and fees for a full-time resident.
• Transfer students with an associate degree or scattered credits. NMSU evaluates your credits for free and says you can transfer as much as 75% of the degree, which is 90 of the 120 credits.
• Active-duty military and law enforcement. Both pay $250 per credit instead of $395.40, so 120 credits comes to $30,000 in tuition.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you want to sit for the ACSM-EP (American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiologist) exam after August 15, 2027. That exam will require a CAAHEP-accredited program (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs), and NMSU's pages list none for this degree.
• Skip it if you want a required internship or capstone. The catalog requirements list neither, even though the program page promises "practical, hands-on experience."
• Skip it if your grades run below a 2.75 GPA. NMSU's course catalog attaches that GPA to Exercise Physiology, Exercise Testing and Prescription, and Exercise for Special Populations.

The catalog's departmental core is 53 credits, and it's the most science-heavy part. You take Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Medical Terminology, Exercise Physiology, Introduction to Exercise Science, Exercise Testing and Prescription, and Exercise for Special Populations. The testing class is a combined lecture and lab that covers healthy adults and some chronic-disease populations.

The rest covers Psychology of Sport, Health and Exercise Psychology, Motor Development, Motor Learning, Psychology of Coaching, and Nutrition and Metabolism of Sport. Statistics, Human Growth and Behavior and Personal Health and Wellness add nine more credits, and 14 credits of electives fill out the degree.

If you're heading to physical therapy school, check each program's prerequisite list. The required courses here include no chemistry or physics.

Courses the School Names

• SPMD 1310 Introduction to Kinesiology
• SPMD 2210 Anatomy and Physiology I
• SPMD 3550 Psychology of Sport
• SPMD 4350 Exercise Testing and Prescription
• SPMD 4410 Exercise for Special Populations

Standout Features

• New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship can cover up to 100% of tuition and required course fees for New Mexico residents earning a first bachelor's degree
• Active military rate of $250 per credit

The program is 100% online. Kinesiology courses run in eight-week mini-semesters in fall, spring and summer, while general education classes follow the full 16-week fall and spring terms. NMSU lists an eight-week start on October 12, 2026 and says most undergraduate applications are reviewed in two to four days.

Full-time is about five classes, or 15 credits, per semester. Part-time is about two classes, or six credits. You choose how many classes to take each semester.

NMSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The pages list no programmatic accreditation for this degree.

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. candidates for the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program (Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education).

The program page says students can sit for national certifications before graduating but names none. Our certification-ready list shows programs that do.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• There's no hands-on requirement. The catalog lists no internship, practicum or capstone, so employers will see coursework and little else.
• The pages contradict each other on labs. The Global Campus catalog requires the Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory, but the Las Cruces catalog says that course is "Restricted to Las Cruces campus only."
• The credit count is fuzzy. The catalog says a minimum of 120 credits, but the requirements grid adds up to 121 to 123.
• The GPA gate can stop you. Three of the core exercise courses list a 2.75 GPA prerequisite, and a C- or better is required in Kinesiology courses.

• How do online students complete Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory when the catalog restricts that course to the Las Cruces campus?
• Do the 2.75 GPA prerequisites on Exercise Physiology, Exercise Testing and Prescription, and Exercise for Special Populations apply to Global Campus students?
• Which national certifications does the program page mean, and are any exam fees or study materials included?
• Is there any internship, practicum or field option, and would it count toward the degree?
• Has the department applied for CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation for the online concentration?
• How many of my credits will transfer to the 90-credit limit, and can I see the evaluation before I pay a deposit?
• Which course fees will I be charged each term on top of $395.40 per credit?

Public land-grant university in Las Cruces; NMSU Global Campus offers 90+ online programs and reports a U.S. News #1 national university ranking in New Mexico for 2026.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 8 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 8 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 3 of 18, bachelor's
• Cheapest Online Programs Rank 8 of 15, bachelor's
• Best for Military Students Rank 3 of 21, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 7 of 23, bachelor's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 4 of 20, bachelor's
• Best Degree Completion Programs Rank 7 of 34, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 6 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 4 of 24, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 4 of 23, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 8 of 34, bachelor's

• Abilene Christian University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science (online)

  Texas $395 per credit Score 64.0

• California Baptist University

  Kinesiology, BS (Online)

  California $541 per credit Score 62.9

• University of North Dakota

  Kinesiology (B.S.)

  North Dakota $432.45 per credit Score 62.6

• University of the Cumberlands

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

  Kentucky $220 per credit Score 62.6