University of North Dakota Online Kinesiology (B.S.)

UND's online B.S. in Kinesiology is a broad, affordable bachelor's from a public research university, with one flat online rate of $432.45 per credit for every student. It's built around kinesiology in general, so exercise science is one piece of it, and nothing on UND's pages shows CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation. Choose it for pre-physical therapy prerequisites, coaching or a general degree, not for credential-driven exercise careers.

The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks, and more than a third of its students study exclusively online. This is a 120-credit degree you can finish online or on campus. UND estimates four years. Classes are asynchronous but not self-paced, so you work to set deadlines inside a 16-week semester.

You choose a study stream: Teacher Education, Coaching and Sports Management, Kinesiology Applications, or Allied Health. UND also lists an esports option. Applications are due August 15 for fall, December 15 for spring and May 1 for summer, and a criminal background check is part of the degree requirements.

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

The kinesiology core is 50 credits. It includes KIN 326 Fundamentals of Physical Conditioning, KIN 332 Biomechanics, KIN 366 Motor Learning, KIN 402 Exercise Physiology, KIN 404 Adapted Physical Activity, KIN 440 Sport and Exercise Psychology, PHE 305 Research Methods and PHE 306 Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Sport Sociology, History of Sporting Experiences in America and Introduction to Public Health fill out the core, and KIN 491 Senior Capstone finishes it.

UND describes KIN 402 as an examination of the acute and chronic effects of exercise type, intensity and duration on physiological functions. It carries a lab corequisite, as do the biomechanics, motor learning and injury prevention courses. Several core courses run only in fall or only in spring, so ask for a semester map early.

Kinesiology Applications adds KIN 110 First Aid and CPR, KIN 114 Strength Training I, and electives like Sports Nutrition and Essentials of Personal Training. Teacher Education adds student teaching at two levels, 13 credits in all.

Courses the School Names

• KIN 207 Prevention, Care and Legal Issues for Injury
• KIN 326 Fundamentals of Physical Conditioning
• KIN 332 Biomechanics
• KIN 366 Motor Learning
• KIN 402 Exercise Physiology
• KIN 404 Adapted Physical Activity
• KIN 440 Sport and Exercise Psychology
• KIN 241 Introduction to Coaching
• KIN 491 Senior Capstone

Standout Features

• Allied Health stream for prerequisites to physical therapy, occupational therapy or chiropractic
• Esports coaching and management options; Esports intramural and varsity programs
• Partnerships for placements including YMCA, Choice Health and Fitness, Ralph Engelstad Arena and UND Athletics
• Accelerated Kinesiology Degree pathway to bachelor's plus master's

Who It Fits

• Students planning physical therapy, occupational therapy or chiropractic school. The Allied Health stream is built for those prerequisites, and the core includes exercise physiology, biomechanics and epidemiology.
• Future coaches. The Coaching and Sports Management stream builds on KIN 241 Introduction to Coaching, which covers sport psychology, pedagogy, physiology and sports medicine issues coaches face.
• Anyone from out of state. Online students pay the same per-credit rate regardless of where they live.
• Bachelor's-plus-master's planners. UND's accelerated pathway lets eligible students double count up to 12 graduate credits and finish the master's within 12 months of the bachelor's.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs an accredited exercise science degree. UND's page lists teacher education accreditation from CAEP, not accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE). See the online bachelor's in exercise science list for programs built around the science.
• Anyone counting on the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential after January 1, 2030. UND says the Kinesiology Applications area prepares you for National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) exams, but the new CSCS rule needs a CASCE-accredited bachelor's.
• Anyone who wants an internship in every version of the degree. The required internship depends on your stream.

UND's 2026-27 rate for online undergraduates in the base tier is $432.45 per credit. Tuition for 120 credits comes to $51,894.00. Student fees run $79.59 per credit and are capped at $955.08 a semester once you reach 12 credits, so ten full-time semesters would add $9,550.80. That puts the total near $61,444.80 with no transfer credit, plus a one-time $185 fee for new undergraduates.

Active-duty students using Federal Tuition Assistance pay $250 per credit, or $30,000 for 120 credits. Yellow Ribbon and VA benefits also apply. Online tuition isn't capped at 12 credits, so a heavier load costs more per semester.

120 credits at $432.45 a credit comes to $51,894 in tuition, before fees.

UND says you never have to come to campus for the online program. Depending on the instructor, you learn through lesson modules, streaming video, posted lectures, online simulations, and discussion boards or chat rooms. You'll have a personal academic advisor, and UND lists free online tutoring, academic coaching and 24/7 technical support.

The labs are the part to ask about. UND advertises exercise physiology and biomechanics laboratories, and the core includes four lab courses, but the online-student page doesn't explain how those labs run without a campus visit. Placement partners such as the YMCA, Choice Health and Fitness and UND Athletics are also in Grand Forks, so find out how online students arrange placements near home.

The Higher Learning Commission has continuously accredited UND since 1913, and that covers online programs. The kinesiology program also holds accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for teacher education. UND lists no CAAHEP accreditation, and it isn't on the CASCE list we pulled on September 29, 2026.

That matters on two dates. From August 15, 2027, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise physiologist candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process, and from January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. A UND graduate would need another route to either credential, and you should ask UND before you plan around the Applications area's NSCA preparation.

The school-wide federal graduation rate is 60 percent.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• UND's pages contradict each other on the internship. The program page advertises a 10-credit internship, but the requirements list one only for Kinesiology Applications, as KIN 497 for 10 credits or 7 credits plus a 3-credit practicum.
• The core is broad. Sport sociology, history and public health share the 50 credits with the science courses.
• The total runs about $61,444.80 without transfer credit, and the low $250 rate is only for active-duty students using Federal Tuition Assistance.
• Lab courses and placements are described in Grand Forks terms, and UND doesn't explain the online version.

• How do KIN 332L, KIN 366L and KIN 402L run for online students, and is any campus session required?
• Which streams require the KIN 497 internship, and how many hours is a 10-credit placement?
• Which sites will approve an online student's internship near me, and who arranges it?
• Do the Allied Health stream courses cover the chemistry and physics prerequisites my target physical therapy school requires?
• Which core courses run only in fall or only in spring?
• How many transfer credits will UND accept, and does the $250 active-duty rate apply to me?

UND is a public Carnegie R1 research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with over a third of students exclusively online. Its kinesiology program offers bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. options online or on campus, with exercise physiology and biomechanics labs.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 11 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 11 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Kinesiology Degrees Rank 5 of 18, bachelor's
• Cheapest Online Programs Rank 13 of 15, bachelor's
• Best for Military Students Rank 5 of 21, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 9 of 23, bachelor's
• Best for Coaches Rank 4 of 11, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 6 of 24, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 5 of 23, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 11 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in North Dakota Rank 1 of 1, bachelor's

• Kinesiology (M.S.)

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $586.22 per credit Score 59.6

• Kinesiology (Ph.D.)

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $586.22 per credit Score 67.5

• University of the Cumberlands

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

  Kentucky $220 per credit Score 62.6

• California Baptist University

  Kinesiology, BS (Online)

  California $541 per credit Score 62.9

• New Mexico State University

  Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (concentration in Applied Exercise Science)

  New Mexico $395.40 per credit Score 63.7

• Abilene Christian University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science (online)

  Texas $395 per credit Score 64.0