Best Online Exercise Science Programs in Missouri (2026)

• Top Bachelor's56.0 out of 100

  Maryville University of Saint Louis

  Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science

  Missouri · B.S.

  Maryville University of Saint Louis's B.S. Review
• Top Master's58.1 out of 100

  University of Central Missouri

  Master of Science in Kinesiology

  Missouri · M.S.

  University of Central Missouri's M.S. Review
• Top Doctorate47.3 out of 100

  A T Still University of Health Sciences

  Doctor of Athletic Training (post-professional)

  Missouri · DAT

  A T Still University of Health Sciences's DAT Review

Eight schools account for the 13 programs, and only two are public. The University of Missouri in Columbia is the state's public flagship, and the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg runs the two cheapest fully online master's programs. The other six are private nonprofits: Maryville University of Saint Louis, Lindenwood University, Culver-Stockton College, A. T. Still University, Avila University and Logan University.

Residency changes the price at only one of them. Missouri residents pay $707.50 a credit for the University of Missouri's online bachelor's programs when they take 1 to 11 credits, and everyone else pays $841.70, which adds a $134.20 per-credit nonresident fee. Central Missouri lists one online graduate rate, $450 a credit, with no separate out-of-state figure. The private schools charge every online student the same.

Pay in Missouri runs below the national numbers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 2025 estimates put the state's exercise physiologists at a median of $52,570 with 160 people employed, against $59,460 nationally. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors have a median of $36,450 across 5,060 jobs, and coaches and scouts have a median of $42,790 across 4,730 jobs.

Missouri licenses athletic trainers through its Athletic Trainer Advisory Committee. The state's list of licensed professions doesn't include exercise physiologists, personal trainers or strength coaches, so your credentials for those jobs come from certifying bodies such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), plus whatever your employer requires.

If you enroll in a program from another state, check state authorization first. Missouri's Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is the state portal entity for the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which lets approved schools offer online programs across member states. Ask any out-of-state school to confirm in writing that it can enroll Missouri residents in your specific program.

This page lists every online program from a Missouri-based school that we could verify on the school's own pages. Programs are grouped by level and ordered inside each level by the six-factor score in our methodology: cost, outcomes, online flexibility, credential alignment, program depth and track record.

Rates come from each school's published tuition page, and we show the in-state rate when a school posts a separate one. On-campus programs at Missouri schools, such as the exercise science degrees at Missouri Baptist University, are left out because you can't take them online. For programs based in other states, use our best online exercise science degrees list.

• School based in Missouri, program delivered online
• In-state rate shown when the school publishes one
• Scored on the same six factors as every list and ranked inside its degree level

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 Missouri Residents Pay for an Online Exercise Science Degree

Start with the bachelor's rates. Maryville's online exercise science bachelor's is $575 a credit plus a $475 technology fee each semester. The University of Missouri's two online bachelor's programs are $707.50 a credit for residents taking 1 to 11 credits, or a flat $8,484.80 a semester at 12 to 18 credits. Summer credits drop to $441.

Mizzou's own estimate for a freshman finishing 120 credits is $84,900. A sample transfer student with 57 credits comes to $40,327.50, less than half of that. So transfer credits matter more in Missouri than almost anywhere else on our lists, and a community college start is worth pricing out.

Master's rates are friendlier. Central Missouri's kinesiology master's is 30 credits at $450, or $13,500 in tuition, and its program page estimates $15,120 with fees. The coaching option is 33 credits and $14,850, with an estimate of $16,640. Avila charges $650 a credit for 31 credits, which is $20,150. Maryville charges $625 a credit for 33 credits, or $20,625, plus a $775 technology fee each semester.

Lindenwood lists $595 a credit on its strength and conditioning program page and $619 on its 2026-27 tuition schedule, so get the current rate in writing. Logan's strength and conditioning master's is 42 credits at $700, or $29,400, and it can be finished in 12 months.

Two state programs are worth a look. Access Missouri is need-based aid for Missouri residents who are undergraduates enrolled full time, meaning at least 12 semester hours, at a participating Missouri school, and it requires a FAFSA on file.

For 2027-2028 the priority deadline is February 1, 2027 and the final deadline is April 1, 2027. Master's students and part-time students don't qualify, so ask the financial aid office at your school whether you do.

The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is aimed at adults training for jobs the state calls high need, and only programs on the state's approved list count. Ask the school whether yours is on it.

If you serve, Lindenwood lists $250 a credit for active-duty students, and Mizzou's Military Tuition Award takes 10% off base tuition. Our military ranking compares every program's benefits.

Missouri Pay for Exercise Physiologists, Trainers and Coaches

Missouri is a lower-paying state for these jobs, and it's better to know that before you borrow. According to BLS May 2025 data, exercise physiologists in Missouri earn a median of $52,570 a year. The lowest-paid tenth earn $46,700 and the top tenth earn $69,260. Only 160 people hold that job title in the state, so the market is small.

Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors have a median of $36,450, or $17.52 an hour, across 5,060 jobs. The top tenth earn $62,390. Personal trainer certifications like the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer need no degree, so for training alone a degree usually isn't what moves that number.

A bachelor's earns its cost when it opens roles that ask for one. The NSCA's CSCS exam requires a bachelor's degree, and clinical exercise physiology work usually starts with one. Our exercise physiologist salary page shows how Missouri compares with the other states.

Coaches and scouts have a median of $42,790, with the top tenth at $79,480 and 4,730 jobs. That category covers all coaching and scouting, not only college strength coaches. Central Missouri's online master's in physical education with a coaching option is built for coaches and physical education teachers, at 33 credits and $450 a credit.

Athletic Training and Licensing in Missouri

Missouri licenses athletic trainers, and its Athletic Trainer Advisory Committee sits under the state's Healing Arts pages on the Division of Professional Registration site. Exercise physiologists, personal trainers and strength coaches aren't on that division's list of professions, so athletic training is the one field here where the state decides who can practice.

Culver-Stockton College's Master of Athletic Training is the Missouri path into the job. Year one, 34 credits, is on campus in Canton with hands-on labs and clinicals. Year two, 22 credits, is online with clinical immersion anywhere in the continental U.S. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and prepares you for the Board of Certification (BOC) exam.

Tuition is $415 a credit for 56 credits, or $23,240, before a $100 per-course fee and a $750 annual fee. There's one start a year, in May, and you'll need 50 observation hours with a certified athletic trainer to apply.

A. T. Still University is different. Its online Master of Science in Athletic Training is post-professional, so you must already hold BOC certification, and the school says it doesn't lead to BOC exam eligibility. It's 30 credits at $690 plus a $44 per-credit technology fee.

The Doctor of Athletic Training is 60 credits and can be finished in as few as 36 months. It needs a one-week on-site institute, and the GRE isn't required. Our exercise science versus athletic training guide explains how the two paths differ.

Certification Rules That Will Shape Your Missouri Degree Choice

Two credential rules change how you should shop. Starting August 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) and Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP) must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program, or one that has started the process. Starting January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the CSCS need a bachelor's from a program accredited by the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE).

None of the 13 Missouri programs has verified CAAHEP accreditation. CAAHEP's list shows Logan University's exercise physiology concentration at Letter of Review status, which means it isn't accredited yet, and Logan's Master of Science in Sports Science and Rehabilitation names ACSM-EP prep. Ask Logan for its current CAAHEP status in writing before you count on it.

The one Missouri program we found on CAAHEP's continuing-accreditation list is an on-campus bachelor's at Missouri Baptist University.

On the strength side, the University of Missouri's online bachelor's with a strength and conditioning emphasis is on the NSCA's CASCE list at initial accreditation. The school's general sport science track says the NSCA recognizes it as an Education Recognition Program, but the NSCA no longer publishes that list and ties the 2030 rule to CASCE. If you want the CSCS after 2029, pick the emphasis.

For accreditation that's verified today, look outside Missouri. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma has a CAAHEP-accredited online bachelor's, and the University of Mary in North Dakota has a CAAHEP-accredited clinical exercise physiology master's with onsite requirements. Our certification-ready list shows the rest.