Tarleton State University Online Kinesiology, B.S.

Tarleton's B.S. in Kinesiology is a four-year degree from a public Texas university with an Exercise and Sport Studies concentration and, starting Fall 2027, a Strength and Conditioning one. Its program page lists 100% Online as a delivery format.

But Tarleton's own online programs list leaves the B.S. off, and the advising guide for the concentration most students would take says hybrid. Get a written answer on which courses you can take online before you apply.

Tarleton State University is a public school in Stephenville, Texas, in the Texas A&M University System, with sites in Fort Worth, Waco and RELLIS. The B.S. in Kinesiology is 120 credits and four years on the program page. It's housed in the College of Kinesiology and Sport Science, and the university is accredited by SACSCOC.

Admission follows Tarleton's undergraduate standards: an application, transcripts, a minimum high school GPA and required high school coursework. Tarleton's federal admit rate is 90 percent. Deadlines are August 1 for fall, December 1 for spring and June 1 for summer.

The program page lists on-campus, hybrid and 100% online formats, with Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, RELLIS and online as locations. It doesn't say which concentrations run online. The Exercise and Sport Studies guide says Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco and hybrid, the Athletic Training guide says Stephenville, and the online programs list shows only the B.A.A.S. and the M.S. in kinesiology.

The page says internships place students with schools, fitness centers, sports teams, rehabilitation clinics and community wellness programs, and that faculty come from kinesiology, exercise physiology, athletic training and strength and conditioning backgrounds. The page also describes lab work with modern equipment to assess performance and analyze movement, so ask what part of that happens in person.

Who It Fits

• First-time college students who want a public-university kinesiology B.S. aimed at training, coaching and wellness work. The Exercise and Sport Studies concentration includes personal training and group exercise electives plus internship or capstone requirements.
• Future strength coaches. Tactical Strength and Conditioning is an elective now, and a Strength and Conditioning concentration is listed as coming Fall 2027. See the strength and conditioning degrees list for comparison.
• Texans near Fort Worth, Waco or RELLIS who can attend hybrid classes. The catalog says only the Exercise and Sport Studies concentration runs at those three campuses.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs to finish entirely online today. The advising guide says hybrid, and the online programs list doesn't include the B.S. If that's you, Tarleton's B.A.A.S. in Kinesiology is the kinesiology bachelor's on that list, but it's for degree completion.
• Aspiring athletic trainers who live far from Stephenville. That concentration lists Stephenville only, 163 hours, graduate-level courses and four clinical courses.
• Students who need a CAAHEP-accredited degree for ACSM exams after August 15, 2027, or a CASCE bachelor's for the CSCS after 2030. Tarleton is on neither list.

Every student takes 66 hours in common: 42 of general education and eight kinesiology courses. Those are Foundations of Kinesiology, Concepts of Physical Fitness, Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries, Motor Behavior, Sports Nutrition, Physiology of Exercise, Kinesiology and Psychological Aspects of Sports. Anatomy & Physiology I comes first for Physiology of Exercise and Kinesiology.

Exercise and Sport Studies adds 54 hours. Tests and Measurements is required, and you choose six hours from Essentials of Personal Training, Group Exercise Training, Tactical Strength and Conditioning, Corrective Exercise Training or Program Design for Special Populations. Adapted Physical Activity or Legal Issues and a leadership or outdoor course finish the list, with 9 advanced and 24 general elective hours.

The catalog ends with two internships, KINE 4398 and KINE 4399. The advising guide lists a KINE 4305 capstone and 15 professional development points instead.

Only Athletic Training lists chemistry, physics and Anatomy & Physiology II. If you're aiming at physical therapy school, compare each target school's prerequisites to the Exercise and Sport Studies plan.

Courses the School Names

• KINE 3370 Physiology of Exercise
• KINE 3390 Kinesiology
• KINE 3330 Motor Behavior
• KINE 3360 Sports Nutrition
• KINE 3350 Corrective Exercise Training
• KINE 3385 Program Design for Special Populations
• KINE 3333 Tactical Strength and Conditioning
• KINE 4390 Biomechanics
• KINE 3304 Orthopedic Assessment
• KINE 3314 Therapeutic Exercise and Rehabilitation

Standout Features

• Athletic Training concentration includes graduate-level ATRN 5351/5353/5383 courses
• Strength and Conditioning concentration launching Fall 2027
• Undergraduate research and applied learning opportunities

Tarleton doesn't publish an online rate for this degree and points to its tuition estimator. The 2026-27 catalog rates are on-campus figures: $199.92 per hour of tuition for Texas residents on the guaranteed plan, $183.71 on the variable plan and $611.71 for non-residents.

A $96.01 University Services Fee per hour is added, and the catalog says it funds services including distance education. The Division of Health Sciences differential adds $53.90 per hour on the guaranteed plan.

On-campus students pay more fees, such as a health and wellness fee and an athletics fee. Ask which ones reach an online or hybrid student.

Tarleton lists no programmatic accreditation for this degree. The program page names CSCS, personal training (NASM, ACE and ACSM), ACSM-EP and athletic training board certification, which it ties to graduate study.

Personal trainer exams don't require a degree. The CSCS needs a bachelor's plus CPR/AED now, and from January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Ask whether Tarleton will seek CASCE accreditation for the Fall 2027 concentration.

ACSM-EP accepts a kinesiology bachelor's now, but from August 15, 2027 candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. Tarleton's federal graduation rate is 48 percent.

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

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

• Online availability isn't settled. The program page says 100% online, while the online list and the concentration advising guides say otherwise.
• The catalog lists two internships for Exercise and Sport Studies, but the advising guide lists a capstone and professional development points.
• The program page calls the concentration Exercise and Sport Science in one place and Exercise and Sport Studies in another.
• Exercise and Sport Studies leaves 24 hours of general electives, so the science depth depends on what you pick.

• Can I finish the B.S. in Kinesiology entirely online, and in which concentration?
• Why is the B.S. missing from Tarleton's online programs list?
• Does Exercise and Sport Studies end with two internships or with a capstone and professional development points?
• Which fees apply to online or hybrid students, and what's my total per credit?
• Will the Strength and Conditioning concentration open in Fall 2027, and will Tarleton apply for CASCE accreditation?
• Can I take Anatomy & Physiology I with its lab online?
• How often would hybrid classes meet on a Tarleton campus?

Public Texas A&M University System institution in Stephenville with additional sites in Fort Worth, Waco and RELLIS. Its College of Kinesiology and Sport Science houses kinesiology, exercise and sport physiology, coaching, sport management and athletic training programs.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 24 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 24 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 10 of 18, bachelor's
• Best Online Strength and Conditioning Degrees Rank 5 of 12, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 17 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 11 of 24, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 10 of 23, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Texas Rank 3 of 6, bachelor's

• Kinesiology, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS)

  B.A.A.S., Bachelor's

  Online Degree Completion Score 44.7

Also at Tarleton State University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Kinesiology, M.S. (Exercise Science concentration) (master's, hybrid); Exercise & Sport Physiology, B.S. (bachelor's, on campus).

• Franklin University

  B.S. in Exercise Science

  Ohio $398 per credit Score 55.1

• University of Saint Mary

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science (Online Degree Completion)

  Kansas $435 per credit Score 54.5

• Arizona State University

  Kinesiology (BS)

  Arizona $580 per credit Score 55.6

• University of Missouri

  Bachelor of Science in Sport Science with an Emphasis in Strength and Conditioning (Online)

  Missouri $841.70 per credit Score 55.9