University of Arizona Online Nutrition & Human Performance (BS)

Arizona's online B.S. in Nutrition & Human Performance pairs nutrition with exercise science, and it leans toward nutrition. It's a science-heavy public university degree with a required internship, built as a springboard to physical therapy, occupational therapy and other health graduate programs. At $525 per credit, 120 credits is $63,000 before fees. Choose it for the nutrition pairing and the prerequisites, not for ACSM or CSCS eligibility.

The University of Arizona is a large public university in Tucson. Arizona Online delivers this degree through the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, and Arizona says you learn from the same professors as on-campus students. Federal data shows the university admits 86 percent of applicants and graduates 68 percent, both figures for the whole institution.

Courses start every 7.5 weeks, with up to six start dates a year. Spring 2027 application deadlines are December 1, 2026 for Session I and February 15, 2027 for Session II, and the application fee is $65. Arizona Online's advisors work in-house, so a call reaches someone at the university.

Arizona Online runs on a 7.5-plus week model. Most courses last 7.5 weeks and some stretch to 15, and classes use the D2L learning platform. The student experience page says you complete classes on your own schedule, with advisors and tutors available.

This degree has a lot of lab courses: chemistry, biology, sports nutrition, body composition and exercise testing. Arizona's pages don't describe how the labs work online, so ask. You'll also need to finish the foundation courses before you apply for Advanced Standing, and the internship needs department consent.

Who It Fits

• Future physical therapy, occupational therapy or physician assistant students. Arizona names those graduate paths, and the plan includes two semesters each of chemistry and anatomy and physiology, plus biology. Check every school's own prerequisite list before you rely on it.
• Athletes and coaches interested in sports nutrition. You'd take Sports Nutrition, Advanced Sports Nutrition with a lab and Human Body Composition.
• Arizona and California community college transfers. Arizona says credits from regionally accredited colleges transfer with a C or better, and Arizona community college students may earn a $500 per semester scholarship.
• Military students. Arizona Online's military rate is $250 per credit for any bachelor's degree, which is $30,000 over 120 credits.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants exercise physiology at the center of the degree. Exercise Prescription and Metabolic Testing is the one required course squarely in exercise science. Compare online exercise physiology degrees if that's your goal.
• Anyone counting on CAAHEP or CASCE recognition. This degree isn't on either list we pulled September 29, 2026.
• Students who'd rather avoid chemistry and a second language. The plan requires Chemical Thinking I and II and second-semester language proficiency.

The required core is Nutrition, Food, and You; Nutrition Communication & Scientific Literacy; Introduction to Nutrition and Human Performance; Nutrition and Metabolism; Sports Nutrition; Advanced Sports Nutrition with a lab; Human Body Composition with a lab; Exercise Prescription and Metabolic Testing with a lab; Introductory Psychology; and a Senior Capstone.

The supporting science is heavy: two four-credit chemistry courses, Introductory Biology with a lab, two four-credit Human Anatomy & Physiology courses, one statistics course and College Algebra. Electives add 12 units of health sciences, 3 of teaching, coaching and leadership, 6 behavioral and 3 in diversity or ethics.

Here's how exercise-science-heavy it really is. Exercise Physiology, Musculoskeletal Kinesiology and Biomechanics of Human Movement appear only on the health sciences elective list, so you'd choose them. A 3-unit internship is required, and you must secure it before you can enroll.

Courses the School Names

• NSC 306 Introduction to Nutrition and Human Performance
• NSC 406 R Exercise Prescription and Metabolic Testing
• NSC 415 R&L Advanced Sports Nutrition & Lab

Standout Features

• Courses in sports nutrition, metabolic testing, body composition assessment and exercise prescription; taught by nutrition and kinesiology faculty in the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences

Tuition is $525 per credit with no out-of-state rate, so 120 credits is $63,000. Arizona Online's cost estimator adds mandatory fees on top of tuition, so ask for an estimate for this degree and your credit load rather than trusting the $525 alone.

Transfer credit changes the math a lot. Arizona says an associate degree leaves you 50 to 60 more credits, which is $26,250 to $31,500. Community college transfers from Arizona may get $500 per semester for up to three years or 60 credits. Military students pay $250 per credit, and payment plans split each semester's bill into three installments.

120 credits at $525 a credit comes to $63,000 in tuition, before fees.

Arizona is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Its catalog lists programmatic accreditation for the dietetics degrees, and none for Nutrition and Human Performance.

Two rules matter for exercise credentials. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) wants a degree in exercise science, exercise physiology or kinesiology, and from August 15, 2027 a graduate of a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will require a bachelor's from a program accredited by CASCE, its Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education, starting January 1, 2030. This degree isn't on either list.

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.

• Mandatory fees sit on top of the $525 per credit, and Arizona's program page doesn't show them.
• The internship is required, and Arizona says you must secure one to enroll. Nobody hands you a placement.
• The second-language requirement and two chemistry courses can add credits if you haven't taken them, and foundation courses gate your Advanced Standing application.
• Required exercise content is thin. Most of the exercise science you'd want sits on the elective list.

• What are the total mandatory fees per session for this degree at my credit load?
• How do the chemistry, biology and NSC lab courses work online, and does anything need a proctor or a campus visit?
• How do I find an internship for NSC 393 or 493, and can my current job count?
• Which of Exercise Physiology, Musculoskeletal Kinesiology and Biomechanics are offered online, and how often?
• Do the physical therapy or occupational therapy programs I'm considering accept these online lab courses?
• Does this degree meet ACSM's rule for a degree in exercise science, exercise physiology or kinesiology?
• Will my transfer evaluation cover the foundation courses I need before Advanced Standing?

Large public research university in Tucson; Arizona Online charges the same per-credit rate everywhere with no out-of-state tuition.

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• Arizona State University

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