Best Online Doctorate in Exercise Science (2026)

• Highest Score68.1 out of 100

  Most FlexibleFully Online, asynchronous, 8-week terms

  Liberty University

  PhD in Health Sciences, Exercise and Sport Science

  Virginia · Ph.D.

  Liberty University's Ph.D. Review
• Lowest Price$586.22 per credit

  University of North Dakota

  Kinesiology (Ph.D.)

  North Dakota · Ph.D.

  University of North Dakota's Ph.D. Review

A program is on this list when it's a doctoral-level degree in exercise science, kinesiology or athletic training that you can earn online and that we verified on the school's own pages. That covers PhD, EdD, DAT and DHSc degrees. We also group one post-master's specialist degree here, the Ed.S. at Tennessee Technological University. Every campus visit, residency and dissertation requirement is noted for each program.

Programs are ordered by the six-factor score in our methodology: cost, outcomes, online flexibility, credential alignment, program depth and track record. Prices come from published school rates, and a rate a school doesn't publish is left out rather than guessed.

• Doctoral level (or post-master's specialist), delivered online
• Campus intensives, residencies and dissertation requirements noted for each program
• Ranked on the six-factor methodology within the doctoral group

Scores are the weighted sum of six factors (Cost 25%, Outcomes 20%, Online Flexibility 20%, Credential Alignment 15%, Program Depth 10%, Track Record 10%), version 1.0. The methodology page shows the rubric for each factor.

Which Online Doctorate Fits Your Goal: PhD, EdD, DAT, DAS or DHSc?

The letters after the degree tell you what the school built it for, and that matters more than the price. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says postsecondary teachers at 4-year colleges and universities typically need a PhD or other doctorate in their field, while community colleges may hire someone with a master's. Teaching is the job this degree points to most clearly.

The four PhDs are research degrees. North Dakota's runs 90 credits with comprehensive exams, a dissertation and a final exam, and its research areas include biomechanics, exercise physiology, sports psychology, motor development, health promotion and pedagogy. Liberty's adds an exercise and sport science specialization. Concordia University-Saint Paul's PhD has 67 credits, and Concordia University-Chicago's has 69.

The EdDs and the Doctor of Applied Science (DAS) lean toward practice and teaching. UNCG's EdD has been online since 2014. It wants a master's plus at least three years of professional experience, and it includes a course on online pedagogy. Old Dominion's DAS is built around strategic communication, pedagogy and organizational change, to prepare you to teach at all degree levels.

Concordia University-Saint Paul charges $690 a credit for both its EdD and its PhD, but the EdD needs 61 credits instead of 67.

The Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) at Pennsylvania Western University is a 48-credit post-professional degree built around a research portfolio, adult learning theory, leadership and curriculum design. The Ed.S. at Tennessee Technological University is a post-master's specialist degree, not a doctorate, with an exercise science concentration inside Curriculum and Instruction.

None of these degrees promises a faculty job. The BLS says tenure can take up to 7 years to earn. Its 2025 median pay for postsecondary teachers in all subjects is $85,330 a year, which isn't an exercise science figure.

What an Online Doctorate in Exercise Science Costs and How to Pay

Doctoral rates on this list run from $586.22 to $1,225 a credit, with a median of $690 and a median total tuition of $41,745. The credit count moves your bill as much as the rate does. Concordia University-Chicago charges $775 a credit plus an $18 technology fee, and its 69 credits come to $53,475 before that fee.

Ohio University charges $593 out of state and $571 in state on 42 credits.

Residency and fees can flip the order. UNCG's 2026-27 online rate is $359.48 a credit for North Carolina residents and $667.04 for online students outside the state, and visit fees come on top.

A.T. Still charges $690 a credit plus a $44 technology fee per credit hour, about $2,640 more over 60 credits. Temple's program page still shows $1,180 a credit for 2025-2026, while its bursar lists $1,225 for online public health programs in 2026-2027.

Liberty lists $395 a credit for eligible current and former service members and spouses, against $630 full-time and $695 part-time. It accepts up to 50% of the degree in transfer credit. Our military ranking covers Tuition Assistance and GI Bill rules.

If your employer runs an educational assistance program, IRS Publication 15-B says you can exclude up to $5,250 a year of it from your wages, and the exclusion also applies to graduate-level courses.

Federal loans changed on July 1, 2026. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Inside Higher Ed reports, graduate students can borrow 20,500 dollars a year and 100,000 dollars in total, while professional students can borrow 50,000 dollars a year and 200,000 dollars in total.

The Education Department limited "professional degree" to 11 fields. A federal judge ruled that definition too narrow, but the ruling is stayed while the case continues.

Plan around the lower cap, and ask each school's financial aid office which one applies to you.

How Long an Online Exercise Science Doctorate Takes and What It Demands

Timelines here run from about two years to five. Temple's 36-credit DAT takes 2 years including summers. Old Dominion's DAS takes as little as 2.5 years in 8-week courses, one at a time, and its next cohort starts August 23, 2027.

Concordia University-Saint Paul says as few as 3 years, with most students finishing in 4. Its next start is November 2, 2026, and the application deadline is October 19, 2026. North Dakota's PhD takes 4-5 years.

The final project changes your workload. Old Dominion ends in a capstone instead of a dissertation. Temple's DAT has a 6-credit capstone, and A.T. Still uses an applied research project spread over four courses. Ohio lets you pick a clinical practice track with a capstone or a clinical research track with a publishable manuscript.

The PhDs and UNCG's EdD require a dissertation: 12 credits at both Concordia University-Saint Paul and UNCG, and 9 at Concordia University-Chicago.

Live sessions matter if you work full time. Temple's core classes meet online Monday nights, 7-9 p.m. Eastern. Liberty and Concordia University-Chicago are asynchronous, and North Dakota lets you choose synchronous or asynchronous courses. UNCG runs a cohort that takes two courses each fall, spring and summer for three years, then writes the dissertation in year four.

Application timing can cost you a year. North Dakota's deadlines are March 15 for fall and October 15 for spring, and it asks for a 3.5 graduate GPA, a writing sample of 5 to 30 pages and three recommendation letters. UNCG admits in the fall only, with priority January 15.

Liberty starts eight times a year and asks for a master's with at least a 3.0 GPA and no standardized test.

What to Know Before Applying to an Online Doctor of Athletic Training

Three of the 12 programs are DATs, and all three are post-professional. You need to be a working athletic trainer first.

Ohio University asks for a graduate of a program accredited by CAATE (the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education), or a credentialed athletic trainer with a related master's. You also need BOC certification or the equivalent, a state credential, a U.S. NPI number and a 3.0 master's GPA. Ohio's page says no campus visits are required, and it expects you to show athletic training work each semester.

A.T. Still requires BOC certification verified before you start, state licensure if your state requires it, a 2.75 graduate GPA and a $70 application fee. It's the only DAT here with an on-site piece, one week, and it lists concentrations such as Orthopaedics and Sport Neurology and Concussion.

Temple is the one to read twice. Its page says the program does not allow students to take the BOC exam, and it admits only currently certified athletic trainers. If you don't have BOC certification yet, a DAT isn't your entry point.