University of North Dakota Online Kinesiology (Ph.D.)

UND's Ph.D. in Kinesiology is a research doctorate you can finish online, and UND calls it one of the few kinesiology doctorates with this much schedule flexibility. It's built for people who want to teach at a university or lead research. You'll write a dissertation over four to five years. It's not a clinical credential, and you should confirm funding for online students before you apply.

The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks. This Ph.D. is 90 credits, and UND estimates four to five years. You can complete it online or on campus, and a majority of the courses are offered online either live or recorded.

UND uses an apprentice-style model. You work with a faculty mentor from the start, and your research can focus on biomechanics, exercise physiology, sports psychology, motor development, health promotion or pedagogy. Applications are due March 15 for fall and October 15 for spring, and all applications are reviewed after the deadline.

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

UND's kinesiology Ph.D. cost page uses the 2026-27 online graduate rate of $586.22 per credit, the same for every student. Student fees add $79.59 per credit, capped at $955.08 a semester. If you transfer 30 credits, you'd pay tuition on 60 credits, or $35,173.20. Without transfer credit, 90 credits come to $52,759.80.

UND's data file also lists a $596.78 doctoral rate for its education doctorates, so ask which one appears on your bill. The Ph.D. page says students are eligible for tuition waivers, competitive graduate teaching and research assistantships, and annual funding for conference travel and professional development. Ask whether online students receive them. There's a $150 per credit continuing enrollment fee for students finishing a dissertation.

90 credits at $586.22 a credit comes to $52,760 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Working professionals who already hold a master's and want a research career. UND says the program is designed to fit around your schedule, and it allows online completion without relocating.
• Future professors. The requirements list a dissertation that should be publishable, and UND says the degree typically prepares you for research and teaching at colleges and universities.
• Exercise and sport professionals who want to study a specific problem. Focus areas include exercise physiology, sports psychology and health promotion, so you can shape the degree around your work.
• Students who can commit evenings. Many online courses hold live discussions at set times, usually in the evening.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants a license or a clinical certification. Nothing in this degree leads to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) clinical exercise physiologist credential, and UND lists no accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
• Anyone without a master's degree. UND admits students with a completed master's and at least a 3.5 GPA in previous graduate work.
• Anyone who needs a guaranteed funded position. Waivers and assistantships are described as eligibility, not a promise. Browse the online doctorate in exercise science list to compare other options.

The degree is 90 credits, and up to 30 can come from a master's degree with your advisory committee's approval. UND's plan shows 12 credits of scholarly tools: EFR 510 Becoming a Qualitative Researcher, EFR 516 Statistics II and two advanced scholarly tool electives. Statistics II is an in-depth study of inferential statistics, with an emphasis on analysis of variance, multiple regression and analysis of covariance.

You also complete 9 credits of kinesiology core courses, 12 credits of faculty-guided research through KIN 590 Individual Research in Kinesiology, 12 credits of electives chosen with your advisor, a 3-credit dissertation writing seminar (HE 549 Dissertation Orientation) and 12 dissertation credits. You pass comprehensive exams, write and defend the dissertation, and take a final examination.

The curriculum is research first. Exercise physiology is one of six focus areas, so how much exercise science you study is up to you.

Courses the School Names

• EFR 510 Becoming a Qualitative Researcher
• EFR 516 Statistics II
• EFR 590 Special Topics in Education

Standout Features

• Apprentice-style faculty-mentored research from day one
• Page calls it one of the few kinesiology doctoral programs in the nation offering this level of schedule flexibility (online or on campus, synchronous or asynchronous courses)
• STEM-designated field

UND says you can complete the Ph.D. 100% online. A majority of courses are offered online, either synchronously or asynchronously, so you can attend live or stream a class later. Many courses also expect you to join live discussions outside of lecture times, and UND says those are held at set times, usually evenings.

You'll have the same advisor support, tutoring, library access and technical support as any UND online student. The apprentice-style model needs regular contact with your mentor, so ask about meeting frequency. UND also mentions internships, supervised field experiences and partner-based learning, but it doesn't list a required placement.

The Higher Learning Commission has continuously accredited UND since 1913. UND lists no programmatic accreditation for the Ph.D., which is normal for a research doctorate. The degree isn't tied to a certification.

The career list on UND's page is mostly academic and research roles, such as university professor, research scientist and postdoctoral fellow, along with roles like sport performance scientist and program director. It cites Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for exercise physiologists and postsecondary health teachers. Read those as context, not as a forecast for what a doctorate will pay you.

The school-wide federal graduation rate is 60 percent, though that doesn't measure doctoral completion.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• You'll spend four to five years and 90 credits, and completion depends on your dissertation, not just your coursework.
• The 30 transferable credits need your committee's approval, so your true credit count and cost aren't settled until UND reviews your master's.
• Funding is stated as eligibility. Online doctoral students don't automatically get a waiver or assistantship.
• Live discussions at set evening times conflict with the flexibility many working students expect.
• The listed courses include education research and statistics, so the kinesiology content depends on your electives and mentor.

• Which faculty members are taking online doctoral students, and what are their research areas?
• Do online students receive tuition waivers or assistantships, and what work do they involve?
• Is any campus visit required for the comprehensive exams or the dissertation defense?
• Which per-credit rate applies to the kinesiology Ph.D., $586.22 or the higher doctoral rate?
• How many credits from my master's degree will transfer, and can I get that decision before I enroll?
• How many students finish within five years, and how often do online students finish?
• Which courses make up the 9-credit kinesiology core, and when do they run online?

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.

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• Kinesiology (B.S.)

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $432.45 per credit Score 62.6

• Kinesiology (M.S.)

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $586.22 per credit Score 59.6

• Liberty University

  PhD in Health Sciences, Exercise and Sport Science

  Virginia $630 per credit Score 68.1

• Ohio University

  Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT)

  Ohio $593 per credit Score 64.6

• University of North Carolina at Greensboro

  Doctor of Education in Kinesiology (Online)

  North Carolina $667.04 per credit Score 49.1

• A T Still University of Health Sciences

  Doctor of Athletic Training (post-professional)

  Missouri $690 per credit Score 47.3