University of Wisconsin-Superior Exercise Science, B.S. (Listed by Universities of Wisconsin Online as Physical Education - Exercise Science Concentration)

UW-Superior's online B.S. is a real exercise science major, with exercise physiology labs, electrocardiography and an internship option, at one online rate of $417.50 per credit with the activity fee. It suits students headed to graduate school in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training or exercise physiology. Two catches: key courses run once a year online, and two UWS pages disagree on price and on whether the internship is required.

The University of Wisconsin-Superior is a public university in Superior, Wisconsin, on Lake Superior. It says it has offered distance education for over 45 years. The exercise science major lives in the Health and Human Performance Department, and the same bachelor's is offered on campus and online.

The degree is 120 credits, with 36 in the major, and it requires a minor. On May 12, 2026, UWS announced that exercise science had moved from a concentration to a stand-alone major. Universities of Wisconsin Online still lists it as Physical Education, Exercise Science Concentration, so expect two names while you research.

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

UWS's 2026-27 online rate is $377.50 per credit for undergraduates, plus a $40 per credit online activity fee. That's $417.50 per credit. Over 120 credits, tuition is $45,300 and tuition plus the fee is $50,100, before transfer credit. UWS's tuition page gives a single online rate.

Universities of Wisconsin Online still shows $319 per credit, a $24 activity fee and a $60 per semester administrative fee. Tuition alone differs by $58.50 per credit, or $7,020 over 120 credits, so trust the UWS tuition page.

UWS's cost table lists $10,020 in tuition and fees for a full-time online student. Online classes sit outside the campus tuition plateau.

120 credits at $377.50 a credit comes to $45,300 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Students planning graduate school in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, physician assistant studies or exercise physiology. UWS says the program prepares you for those paths. Check each target school's prerequisite list against the course plan.
• Fitness staff and personal trainers who want a degree behind their certification. HHP 458 mentors you toward the credential you choose, and UW Online recommends NCCA-approved certifications from ACSM, NSCA and ACE.
• Students who like a public-health angle. UW Online says exercise science majors can double major and also earn a degree in Public Health.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs a CAAHEP-accredited bachelor's. UWS's pages list none, and the CAAHEP list we pulled on September 29, 2026 has no UWS program. Browse our certification-ready online exercise science degrees instead.
• Anyone who expects to work as a clinical exercise physiologist straight after graduating. UW Online's own career list marks exercise physiology and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation as requiring graduate work.
• Students who want a quick finish. It's 120 credits plus a required minor, so your transfer credit decides your timeline.

The catalog builds from HHP 282 Introduction to Physical Assessment and Exercise Evaluation, a 2-credit hands-on class that covers health and risk assessment, body composition, strength and endurance testing, and cardiopulmonary evaluation. HHP 362 Kinesiology follows, using virtual lab activities. Then come HHP 363 and HHP 364 Exercise Physiology I and II, both combined lecture and lab courses with a C or higher required.

HHP 460 Cardiovascular Diagnostics surveys electrocardiography. HHP 463 Practicum in Fitness Lab and HHP 438 Measurement and Evaluation for Human Performance, which has an independent research project, come later.

The finish is HHP 443 Research Methods, where a B or higher is required, and the 0-credit HHP 497 Senior Capstone Experience, which ends in a public poster or slide presentation.

Courses the School Names

• HHP 282 Introduction to Physical Assessment and Exercise Evaluation
• HHP 362 Kinesiology
• HHP 363 Exercise Physiology I
• HHP 364 Exercise Physiology II
• HHP 438 Measurement and Evaluation for Human Performance
• HHP 460 Cardiovascular Diagnostics
• HHP 463 Practicum in Fitness Lab
• HHP 496 Internship

Standout Features

• Kessler Exercise Physiology Laboratory
• Double major option with Public Health
• Fieldwork with UW-Superior Athletics strength and conditioning, Essentia Health, Aspirus/St. Luke's, YMCA
• ECG interpretation and exercise prescription for diverse populations covered
• Now a stand-alone major (news May 12, 2026)

UWS says you can complete the major fully online or on campus, taught by the same faculty. The catalog marks which courses run online and when. HHP 282 and HHP 363 run online in fall, and HHP 362 and HHP 364 run in spring. Each spring course needs its fall partner first, so the science sequence takes a full year. HHP 497 runs online in summer.

Hands-on work happens at the Kessler Exercise Physiology Laboratory, a campus lab in Superior designed to mirror clinical, fitness and research settings. Placements include UW-Superior Athletics, Essentia Health, Aspirus/St. Luke's and the YMCA, mostly in the Superior and Duluth area. Ask how online students do lab work.

UWS is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has been since 1916. The major carries no programmatic accreditation on its pages. The credentials in play are optional. UW Online recommends NCCA-approved certifications from ACSM, NSCA and ACE, and none of the personal trainer exams requires a degree.

Two rule changes affect what comes next. From August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program or one that has started the process. From January 1, 2030, U.S. CSCS candidates need a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program. Ask UWS where the major stands on both.

Where this degree can lead: Exercise Science Jobs.

• The price differs by page: $377.50 per credit on UWS's tuition page, $319 on the UW Online listing.
• The internship is either required or optional. UW Online says an internship is required, UWS's program page calls fieldwork optional, and the catalog's HHP 496 needs at least 450 hours.
• The science sequence takes a full year online, and HHP 438 is listed for on-campus fall.
• No CAAHEP accreditation shows up for the major, and the career list marks several clinical jobs as needing graduate work.

• Is the HHP 496 internship required for online students, and is 450 hours the minimum?
• How do the lab parts of HHP 282, HHP 363 and HHP 364 work online, and is any trip to Superior required?
• Which rate applies to me, the $377.50 plus $40 on UWS's tuition page or the $319 on UW Online?
• When do online students take HHP 438, since the catalog lists it for on-campus fall?
• Will my diploma read Exercise Science or Physical Education with a concentration?
• Does the online plan include the chemistry and physics my target physical therapy programs require?
• How many transfer credits apply to the 36 major credits, and which minors pair best?

Public university in Superior, Wisconsin on Lake Superior, part of the Universities of Wisconsin; says it has offered distance education for over 45 years and 20+ fully online programs.

• Best Online Exercise Science Degrees Rank 6 of 46, bachelor's
• Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 6 of 46, bachelor's
• Cheapest Online Programs Rank 5 of 15, bachelor's
• Best for Personal Trainers Rank 4 of 33, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Physical Therapy Programs Rank 3 of 24, bachelor's
• Best Pre-Health Programs Rank 3 of 23, bachelor's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 6 of 34, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Wisconsin Rank 1 of 2, bachelor's

• Abilene Christian University

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science (online)

  Texas $395 per credit Score 64.0

• Texas Tech University

  Online Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology

  Texas Score 67.2

• New Mexico State University

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

  New Mexico $395.40 per credit Score 63.7

• Northeastern State University

  Health and Human Performance

  Oklahoma $279 per credit Score 67.7