Best Online Exercise Science Degrees for Healthcare Workers (2026)

• Top Bachelor's68.7 out of 100

  University of Louisiana at Lafayette

  Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Online)

  Louisiana · B.S.

  University of Louisiana at Lafayette's B.S. Review
• Top Master's67.4 out of 100

  Ouachita Baptist University

  Master of Science in Exercise Science (online)

  Arkansas · M.S.

  Ouachita Baptist University's M.S. Review
• Top Doctorate68.1 out of 100

  Liberty University

  PhD in Health Sciences, Exercise and Sport Science

  Virginia · Ph.D.

  Liberty University's Ph.D. Review

A program is on this list only when its own pages say it serves practicing healthcare workers: nurses, PTAs, athletic trainers, chiropractors, clinicians with doctorates or allied health professionals.

We quote that reason on each program's review, and we note clinical and onsite requirements so you can plan around your schedule. All 30 programs that qualified are here. Inside each level, programs follow the six-factor score in our methodology, and a healthcare-worker fit never raises a score.

• A stated healthcare-worker audience on the program page
• Clinical and onsite requirements noted for each program
• Ranked on the shared six-factor methodology

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.

What an Exercise Science Degree Adds to a Clinical License

Your license stays your license. A nurse, PTA or EMT who finishes one of these degrees is still that clinician. What changes is the work you can move into: cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation, wellness and health promotion leadership, teaching or program management.

Be clear-eyed about pay. The BLS wage data for May 2025 puts the median exercise physiologist at $59,460 a year across 8,560 jobs, with the middle 80% earning between $42,760 and $80,560. The same data gives physical therapist assistants a median of $68,380 and athletic trainers $62,520. A PTA who switches to an exercise physiologist title takes a pay cut at the median.

So judge a degree by the role it opens. Running a cardiac rehab program or leading wellness for a hospital system is a different job from the one you have now. Check postings near you for the exact credentials they ask for before you pick a program.

An exercise science degree also doesn't make you a physical therapist. The American Physical Therapy Association says you must earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and pass a state licensure exam. If a DPT is your goal, start with our pre-physical therapy list.

If you hold only an associate degree, you have one option here. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette kinesiology bachelor's admits transfer students with an associate degree or 24 or more credits, and its Health Promotion and Wellness concentration prepares you for the CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) exam. It lists no CAAHEP accreditation, which matters for the rule in the next section.

Clinical Hours, Internships and the 2027 CAAHEP Rule

The ACSM-CEP is the credential clinical exercise physiologists sit for. The ACSM eligibility page asks for a master's in clinical exercise physiology or equivalent plus 600 hours of hands-on clinical experience, or a bachelor's in exercise science or exercise physiology plus 1,200 hours. You also need Basic Life Support Provider or CPR for the Professional Rescuer certification.

A rule change is coming. ACSM says that effective Aug. 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) and the ACSM-CEP must graduate from an Exercise Science or Exercise Physiology program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

A program that has started the process through a formal inquiry or a Request for Accreditation Services also counts. Two programs here hold CAAHEP accreditation: Lebanon Valley College and the University of Mary. Ask every other school where it stands.

Programs handle clinical hours very differently, so compare them before you compare tuition. Lebanon Valley requires a 600-hour in-person internship plus three residency weekends in Annville, Pennsylvania. Grand Canyon University builds 600 practicum hours into two courses and doesn't say how sites are arranged.

Tiffin University requires a 150-hour internship that can be done where you already work, but that is well under ACSM's 600 hours. Logan University asks for 90 hours over 7 weeks at a site you find yourself.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls places you in cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation at a regional hospital or rehabilitation center and adds one on-campus lab weekend each semester. The University of Mary holds a one-week lab at its Bismarck, North Dakota campus every semester. Franklin University says availability varies by state, and some states are open only through employer partnerships.

If you already work in a cardiac rehab unit, ask each program whether your job can host the internship and whether hours you've already worked count. Ask ACSM the same question. See our clinical exercise physiology master's list for programs beyond these.

Athletic Trainers and Clinicians With Doctorates

Five programs here are built for athletic trainers who already hold their credential. Ohio University's Doctor of Athletic Training admits credentialed athletic trainers and asks for evidence each semester that you're working as one. Temple University's DAT is only for currently certified athletic trainers.

A T Still University offers a master's and a DAT for the same audience. East Stroudsburg University limits its master's to athletic trainers who are certified by the Board of Certification (BOC) or BOC-eligible.

None of these makes you an athletic trainer. The BOC says certification requires completing an entry-level program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education and passing its exam, and that certification alone doesn't guarantee a state license. A T Still's master's says it does not lead to BOC exam eligibility. East Stroudsburg's includes on-campus labs and clinical practicums, so it isn't fully online.

The other doctorates welcome clinicians from several fields. Old Dominion's Doctor of Applied Science in Kinesiology accepts a clinical doctorate such as a DPT, or a master's in athletic training, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology or physician assistant studies. It charges $662 a credit for 36 credits.

Concordia University-Saint Paul accepts transfer credit from chiropractic, occupational therapy and physical therapy doctorates in its Ed.D. (61 credits) and Ph.D. (67 credits), both at $690 a credit. Liberty's Ph.D. in Health Sciences asks, "Are you an allied health professional seeking a terminal degree?" It costs $630 a credit for 60 credits, with no standardized testing.

Be honest about what a doctorate buys. Concordia says most graduates take 4 years and frames the degree for clinicians heading into academia. UNC Greensboro's Ed.D. requires a master's, three years of professional experience and three campus visits, though North Carolina residents pay only $359.48 a credit. Most out-of-state online students pay $667.04.

Using Employer Tuition Help for Graduate Coursework

Ask HR before you apply. IRS Publication 15-B says an employer can provide up to $5,250 of educational assistance each year without it counting as your taxable income. The exclusion applies to graduate-level courses and covers tuition, fees, books, equipment and supplies. It also covers employer payments toward your qualified education loans.

The employer needs a separate written educational assistance program, so a verbal yes from your manager isn't enough. Ask whether the benefit has an annual cap, whether you must stay for a set time after you finish and whether the school is paid directly. Policies differ by employer.

$5,250 won't cover a whole degree. At West Alabama's $429 a credit it pays for about 12 of the 33 credits, before a $120 technology fee each semester. At UConn's $925 a credit it pays for fewer than 6 of the 30 credits in the exercise prescription master's.

The IRS also says lodging, meals and transportation aren't education expenses under this rule. That matters for residency weekends and lab weeks, so budget travel as its own cost. Once you've narrowed your list, read our methodology to see how cost factors into each ranking.