North Carolina Central University Kinesiology (Online), B.S., Fitness and Wellness Concentration

North Carolina Central's online B.S. in Kinesiology, Fitness and Wellness concentration, has two very different price tags. North Carolina residents pay $185 per credit, or $22,200 for 120 credits, while out-of-state students pay $727.67 per credit, or $87,320.40. The school names the CSCS and ACSM exercise physiologist exams as goals, but its pages list no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation, so treat those as coursework goals, not eligibility promises.

North Carolina Central University is a public historically Black university in Durham, North Carolina. The degree comes from its Department of Kinesiology and Recreation Administration, which the school abbreviates as KRA. You take it fully online. Its stated aim is careers in preventive and rehabilitative fitness and wellness, and it serves as a pre-professional path for allied health fields.

The 120 credits split into 37 of general education, 48 of fitness and wellness management, and electives. Admission asks for a 2.0 GPA for a first degree. Once you're in, you need a 2.5 GPA in the major and a C or better in every Kinesiology and Recreation course, and your last 30 hours must be at NCCU.

NCCU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The only programmatic accreditations mentioned on the program page belong to other programs, physical education teacher education and recreation administration, not this concentration.

The page says the concentration aims to give you the foundation for the CSCS and for the ACSM exercise physiologist exam. Two rules affect that: ACSM-EP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program starting August 15, 2027, and U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program starting January 1, 2030. Read our accreditation guide.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs, CSCS Certification Requirements.

Who It Fits

• North Carolina residents who need a bachelor's at a public-school price. At the in-state rate, tuition for the whole degree is $22,200, and that's before fees the school doesn't itemize.
• Gym managers, coaches and trainers who want the degree behind the job. Fitness Management, Program Design in Strength and Conditioning, and Group Exercise Leadership are all in the required sequence.
• Students who want to study at a historically Black university while working. The program is delivered online, and the school describes its labs as recorded video.

Who Should Skip It

• Skip it if you live outside North Carolina. At $727.67 per credit, tuition runs $87,320.40, about four times the in-state total, and you can find lower per-credit online rates elsewhere in our kinesiology list.
• Skip it if you're counting on the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or the ACSM-EP (American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiologist). Rules starting in 2030 and August 2027 tie those exams to CASCE and CAAHEP accreditation, and none is listed here.
• Skip it if you want live, in-person lab practice. The lab work is recorded video, and only the senior professional experience puts you in a real setting.

The curriculum guide is a traditional eight-semester plan. Sophomore year adds Anatomy and Physiology II, Program Design in Strength and Conditioning, and Group Exercise Leadership I. Junior year covers Exercise Physiology, Fitness Assessment, Motor Learning, Emergency Care, Fitness Management and Measurement and Evaluation.

Senior year adds Physical Activity for Aging, Adapted Physical Education, and Psycho-Social Aspects. It ends with KIN 4640 Directed Professional Experience, a six-credit field placement, plus a one-credit Career Readiness course.

Count the strength courses and you'll find one, Program Design in Strength and Conditioning. That's thin for a program that names the CSCS as a goal.

Courses the School Names

• KIN 2000 Introduction to Kinesiology
• KIN 3560 Program Design in Strength and Conditioning
• KIN 4120 Exercise Physiology
• KIN 4130 Fitness Assessment
• KIN 4050 Fitness Management
• KIN 4410 Measurement/Evaluation
• KIN 3000 Motor Learning
• KIN 3500 Emergency Care
• KIN 3550 Physical Activity for Aging
• KIN 4640 Directed Professional Experience

Standout Features

• Laboratory testing content delivered by recorded video demonstrations so the degree can be completed online
• Strength-and-conditioning-oriented courses including KIN 3560 Program Design in Strength and Conditioning and KIN 4130 Fitness Assessment
• In-state online undergraduate rate of $185 per credit hour

The school's online tuition table lists $185.00 per credit for in-state undergraduates and $727.67 for out-of-state. That gives $22,200 or $87,320.40 for 120 credits. The table is labeled 2025-2026, and the school's page still shows it, so expect the current rates to differ. Fees aren't itemized.

You'll also budget for KIN 4640. It's six credits, and on the out-of-state rate that one course is $4,366.02. NCCU lists no military rate or per-credit discount on these pages.

120 credits at $727.67 a credit comes to $87,320 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $185, the same 120 credits come to $22,200.

Delivery is fully online, and lab content comes through recorded video sessions, including YouTube demonstrations of testing used in a strength and conditioning facility. The school calls these recorded labs a key component of its online delivery.

The page lists a Fall 2026 application deadline of August 7. The curriculum guide also schedules activity-based courses, including a weight training elective, Rhythm and Aerobic Training, and Group Exercise Leadership I, so ask how those are delivered when you never step on campus.

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

• The out-of-state price is steep. $727.67 per credit for 120 credits is $87,320.40 in tuition alone.
• The school's pages disagree on electives. The program page says 13 KRA electives, while the curriculum guide lists 16 Kinesiology and Recreation free electives, and 37 plus 48 plus 13 only adds up to 98 of the 120 credits.
• The strength and conditioning content is one required course, and the labs are recorded video, so the degree is lighter on hands-on skill than its CSCS goal suggests.
• The career list includes certified athletic trainer, nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist and physician. Each of those needs further schooling, and the page doesn't give prerequisite lists.

• What are the 2026-2027 online tuition and fee rates for in-state and out-of-state students, and are the $185.00 and $727.67 figures all-in?
• How many Kinesiology and Recreation electives does the degree require, 13 or 16, and which courses count?
• How do online students find and arrange a site for KIN 4640 Directed Professional Experience, and can it happen at my current job?
• What is the next application deadline, given the page lists only Fall 2026 on August 7?
• What does the curriculum guide's footnote about finishing all courses mean for KIN 4640 and my graduation semester?
• Has the department applied for CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation for the online concentration?
• Which prerequisites would I still need for physical therapy or physician assistant school after this degree?

NCCU is a public HBCU in Durham, NC, accredited by SACSCOC. Its Department of Kinesiology and Recreation Administration runs online tracks in Fitness and Wellness (B.S.) and Kinesiology, Adapted Sports and Recreational Therapy (M.S.).

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 40 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 40 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 17 of 18, bachelor's
• Best Online Strength and Conditioning Degrees Rank 10 of 12, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 29 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 19 of 24, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 19 of 23, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 29 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in North Carolina Rank 3 of 3, bachelor's

• Kinesiology and Recreation Administration (Online), M.S.

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• Tarleton State University

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• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

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• United States Sports University

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  Alabama $650 per credit Score 41.1