Best Online Exercise Science Degrees for Personal Trainers (2026)

Arizona State treats fitness as one piece of health behavior, so the degree mixes exercise, nutrition and motivation, with courses in fitness programming. That's a good match if you coach habits as much as sets and reps. Classes run 7.5 weeks, 40 in all, at $580 per credit. The page names no specific certification.

Maryville is tied to NSCA-CPT preparation, holds an NSCA Education Recognition Program designation, and built two courses with the performance company EXOS. A 21-credit Wellness Management concentration names personal training. You'll complete practicum hours at a site you choose from approved partners. Cost is $575 per credit plus a $475 semester technology fee.

This is the pick for a trainer aiming at the CSCS. The strength and conditioning emphasis carries CASCE accreditation, and NSCA requires a bachelor's from a CASCE-accredited program for CSCS candidates starting January 1, 2030. Expect a 3 to 6 credit internship and full-time tuition of $8,484.80 per semester. The school reports a 75% graduation rate.

Franklin fits a busy trainer who needs speed and transfer room. Courses are 6 or 12 weeks with about 8 starts a year, and up to 90 credits can transfer. The coursework is ACSM-aligned exercise testing and prescription, though no specific exam is named. Tuition is $398 per credit, $250 for service members, plus a $100 resource fee each semester.

Tarleton's Exercise and Sport Studies electives include Essentials of Personal Training and Corrective Exercise Training, and the page mentions NASM, ACE and ACSM personal training paths. The catch is delivery: it lists on-campus, hybrid and online formats without saying which concentrations run fully online, and internships are required in most. Confirm your track before applying.

Saint Mary is degree completion for people who already have an associate degree or a stack of credits, with up to 90 transferring. The curriculum blends ACSM, NSCA, NASM and ACE approaches, and the internship capstone includes reviewing for a personal training certification. Terms are 8 weeks, up to five starts a year, at $435 per credit.

Missouri's general Sport Science track is the CPT-friendly cousin of its strength emphasis. The school ties it to ACSM-CPT preparation and lists certified personal trainer careers, and the program carries an NSCA Education Recognition Program designation. It doesn't require CASCE accreditation. Plan for a 3 or 6 credit internship and a Sport Science Lab with force plates.

Concordia Chicago names personal trainers seeking a bachelor's credential as a target student. There are no entrance exams, courses are asynchronous 8-week sessions, and up to 90 credits transfer at $440 per credit. The core includes Principles of Strength and Conditioning, and a 4+1 route lets you finish the Applied Exercise Science MS in one more year.

Methodist is one of the few programs where the course list itself reads like a trainer's toolkit: Personal Training and Weight Training Techniques are both in the curriculum. Up to 93 credits transfer, there are six starts a year in asynchronous 8-week terms, and tuition is $445 per credit. Two internship courses are required, so line up sites early.

Concordia Saint Paul says graduates are prepared to sit for ACSM-CPT, NETA and ACE exams. Its 90-credit, three-year option cuts pre-transfer tuition to $37,800 against $50,400 for the 120-credit route, at $420 per credit. Six starts a year help, but the internship has to be done in person at an approved local site.

Parker carries CASCE accreditation and is listed as eligible for ACSM-CPT, ACSM-EP and NSCA-CPT, among others, so one degree covers a lot of certification ground. The tradeoff is cost and in-person time: $777 per credit, plus either an 80-hour practicum or a 300-hour internship. Alternative credit such as CLEP or military training is capped at 45 semester hours.

Montreat's case for trainers is credit for what you've already done. It evaluates CLEP, DSST and non-collegiate military training through ACE, offers six starts a year in 8-week courses, and charges $445 per credit to everyone, military included. It names no certification, and PSYC 1100 and PHIL 3401 are prerequisites.

Eastern Oregon says its Exercise Science concentration leads to eligibility for personal training, strength and conditioning and inclusive fitness certifications, though it doesn't name the certifying bodies. Prior learning counts through APEL and Agency Sponsored Learning, and up to 135 quarter credits transfer. At $338 per credit the full 180 comes to $60,840.

Bryan is a ladder for people who start as trainers: 60 credits transfer in from its personal trainer certificate plus associate degree, leaving about $13,550 in completion tuition, with books included. One NASM Certified Nutrition Coach attempt is included. The school says you can sit for the CSCS, but check the CASCE rule for 2030.

Tarleton's applied degree is aimed at people who hold an applied associate degree and workplace credit, which describes plenty of trainers who came up through certificates and job training. The catalog shows a Credit for Prior Learning component of 12 to 45 hours. No online rate is published and no certification is named.

Concordia Texas builds NASM into the degree: its Fitness Professional track earns the Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist and Performance Enhancement Specialist credentials, and the school says all kinesiology majors graduate with at least three NASM certifications. Tuition is $550 per credit, or $350 with the Start Now Scholarship.

For a North Carolina trainer the price is the draw: the in-state online rate is $185 per credit against an estimated $727.67 for everyone else. Labs are recorded video demonstrations, so nothing forces you onto campus, and the Fitness and Wellness concentration includes Program Design in Strength and Conditioning and Fitness Assessment. Those rates are for 2025-2026.

Whitewater lets you pair the Exercise Science emphasis with an online Strength and Conditioning minor, useful for a trainer who works with athletes. Wisconsin residents start at $424.82 per credit and non-residents at $845.68. Courses are asynchronous, no campus visits are required, and the 6-credit internship can be done as a distance learner.

United States Sports University lists aspiring coaches and trainers among its intended students and specializes in Strength & Conditioning. Tuition is a flat $650 per credit with books included, up to 90 credits transfer, and military students pay $250. No residency is required, and there's a $100 technology fee each semester.

Cameron gives a working trainer a bachelor's that can be finished fully online, with Personal Training and Strength Training among the electives. The department lists ACSM, NSCA and ACE certifications for graduates. Oklahoma residents pay $236.50 per semester hour, while everyone else pays $550.50, so the in-state rate is where this degree gets interesting.

East Central puts personal trainer on the career list for its kinesiology degree and includes Strength & Conditioning and Exercise Testing & Prescription courses. Oklahoma residents pay $331.80 per credit, and ECU says up to 90 transfer credits can bring the discounted program cost down to $9,954. Plan for a 4-credit supervised practicum.

UTRGV fits a trainer who also teaches, since it's designed for current educators in public, private or religious schools. An elective, KINE 6306 Resistance & Cardiovascular Training, covers programming for personal training and coaching. Seven-week courses can finish the degree in as little as 12 months for about $16,000, at $444.44 per credit.

Cincinnati aims this master's at exercise, fitness and wellness professionals and delivers it 100% online and asynchronously. It prepares you for the CSCS and the NSCA special populations credential. Electives in motivational interviewing and health coaching are useful for client conversations, and a Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate can run alongside. Ohio residents pay $746 per credit; others pay $761.

Parker lists eligibility for a long run of credentials, including the ACSM and NSCA certified personal trainer (CPT) exams. Coursework is online, but you must already have lecture-and-lab exercise physiology, exercise prescription and biomechanics. The optional Strength and Conditioning track adds a 300-hour, in-person internship anywhere in the country. Tuition is $871 per credit, the same for everyone.

Mary is on this list for credit for prior learning, which is rare in master's programs and matters if you've worked for years without a degree in the field. Its Strength and Conditioning concentration is CASCE-accredited, and the school reports 38 of 38 students passing the CSCS. Tuition is $670 per credit, and the parent degree has a short residency in year two.

Cumberlands makes the most sense for a trainer who wants to spend as little as possible. Tuition is $355 per credit with books and fees included, $315 for active military and veterans, and the 30-credit total is $10,650. The Health and Fitness Promotion emphasis puts exercise testing and prescription in the core, and a second path covers coaching and fitness leadership.

Concordia St. Paul says this degree leads to personal trainer positions at fitness centers, and it prepares you for the CSCS and NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist exams. The 11 asynchronous courses have no clinical placement, so a full client schedule can stay intact. Tuition is $475 per credit, $15,675 in all, or $350 per credit for service members and spouses.

LSU offers credit for prior learning and a flat $644 per credit with no out-of-state surcharge, so the $23,184 total is the same wherever you live. The Health Promotion and Sport Performance concentration mixes sport performance with courses on changing health behavior, which is much of a trainer's daily work. A student success coach comes with enrollment.

Lander's page lists personal trainers among the careers for its Sport Performance & Rehabilitation concentration, which leads toward the CSCS. A second concentration, Clinical Exercise Physiology, fits trainers who want a clinical lean. You must finish Anatomy and Physiology I and II before you apply. Tuition is $545 per credit for in-state and out-of-state students.

King's names personal trainers and fitness professionals as well-suited students. It's built around the NSCA Certified Performance and Sport Scientist credential. Applicants normally need an exercise science background, but the school says coaching or personal training experience can count as an exception. Tuition is $765 per credit, and the courses are 100% asynchronous in seven-week terms.

UConn names personal trainers and strength coaches as target students. Its coursework follows ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, and the courses were developed by the guidelines' senior editor, Dr. Linda Pescatello. A 12-credit online certificate can stack into the master's. The comprehensive fee is $925 per credit for everyone, and the GRE isn't required.

United States Sports University lists aspiring coaches and trainers as its target audience, and it centers the degree on strength and conditioning. Tuition is a flat $640 per credit with no out-of-state fees, or $575 for active military. Eight-week terms allow completion in as little as 15 months, and no residency is required.

Corban's two-course corrective exercise sequence lines up with the NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist credential, which is handy if your clients arrive with sore backs and bad knees. It's a new program that launched in Fall 2026, so no graduates exist yet. Tuition is $750 per credit, and admission requires a profession of Christian faith.

Canisius builds exam preparation for four NASM specializations into the degree: Corrective Exercise, Performance Enhancement, Behavior Change and Sports Nutrition Coach. It also prepares you for the CSCS. That's a lot of add-on credentials for a trainer to sell. It's also the priciest in this group at $945 per credit, and the internship is 120 hours at a site you arrange.

This is the broader sibling to Concordia St. Paul's strength degree, and the school says it prepares you for ACSM certifications and includes Clinical Exercise Assessment. A related bachelor's isn't required, only a 3.0 GPA. You pay $475 per credit with no application fee, and a capstone project replaces a thesis or internship.

Trainers ready for a graduate credential can take this 30-credit master's from a public university entirely online. The program page points to exercise careers, including personal training, and the coursework includes Training Methods and Sports Nutrition. A 3.00 upper-division GPA waives the GRE, and you can finish with a thesis or a three-credit internship.

UNCG's careers list includes personal training and strength and conditioning, but this online track is Sport and Exercise Psychology, coursework only. It suits a trainer who wants to understand client motivation. The rate depends on where you live: $352.81 for North Carolina residents and $660.37 for online students living outside the state.

This one only fits a trainer who already holds the Board of Certification athletic trainer credential, since it's post-professional and doesn't lead to BOC exam eligibility. Credits count toward ATSU's Doctor of Athletic Training, about 24% of the way. Concentrations are Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation, and Sport Neurology and Concussion at $690 per credit plus a $44 technology fee.

Salem built this master's for coaches, trainers and fitness professionals. Its 15-credit Strength and Conditioning track follows the body of knowledge for the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam, though the exam itself is separate. You pay $650 per credit, or $23,400 for 36 credits, taking one course a month.

Walsh writes this degree for club managers and personal training coordinators, so it suits a trainer who wants to run a team. The 31-credit online curriculum mixes exercise physiology with marketing and healthcare organization courses. Tuition is $785 per credit, $24,335 in all, and admission asks for a 2.75 GPA. The American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) accredits it.

Memphis turns your certifications and fitness work into credit, covering up to 6 of the 12 elective hours. The 30-credit degree is fully online at $697 per credit for every student, so $20,910 total, with no GRE and no thesis. You can finish in as few as 12 months, which fits around a client schedule.