Best Online Exercise Science Programs in Tennessee (2026)

• Top Master's61.7 out of 100

  Trevecca Nazarene University

  Human Performance and Fitness

  Tennessee · M.S.

  Trevecca Nazarene University's M.S. Review
• Top Doctorate39.5 out of 100

  Tennessee Technological University

  Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.S. (Exercise Science concentration)

  Tennessee · Ed.S.

  Tennessee Technological University's Ed.S. Review

Four Tennessee schools run online exercise science programs, and only two of them give residents a break. East Tennessee State University charges Tennessee residents $672 a credit and out-of-state online students $835.50. Tennessee Tech charges residents $742 and domestic out-of-state students $882. The University of Memphis charges every student $697, and Trevecca Nazarene University charges every student $563.

So a Tennessee address is worth the most at ETSU and Tennessee Tech, and worth nothing at Memphis and Trevecca. It also means you aren't stuck with Tennessee schools to find a bargain.

The University of North Georgia charges $320 a credit for its online kinesiology master's, and Georgia Southern's coaching master's costs less per credit than Trevecca's too. Both list one online rate, whether you live in Georgia or not.

Tennessee's job market is much bigger for trainers and coaches than for exercise physiologists. BLS counts 140 exercise physiologists in Tennessee at a $53,570 median wage, below the national median of $59,460. It counts 5,080 exercise trainers and group fitness instructors at $47,380, a little above the national $47,160, and 6,250 coaches and scouts at $37,780, well under the national $47,320.

Tennessee doesn't license exercise physiologists. The Department of Health's list of professional boards includes athletic trainers, dietitians and nutritionists, physical therapists and many others, but no board for exercise physiologists. Certifications from ACSM (the American College of Sports Medicine) and NSCA (the National Strength and Conditioning Association) fill that gap, and both organizations are changing their degree rules.

Tennessee joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, known as SARA, in 2015, and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission serves as its portal agency. Through SARA, a school in a member state can enroll you online without getting Tennessee's separate approval. Before you apply out of state, check that the school appears in the NC-SARA participating institution directory, and ask whether its degree meets the certification rules you care about.

We include every online exercise science program from a school based in Tennessee that passed our checks: five programs at four schools, each verified against the school's own pages on Sept. 29, 2026. Master's programs come first, then the Ed.S., and each group is sorted by our 0 to 100 score.

Cost carries the most weight, followed by outcomes, online flexibility, credential alignment, program depth and track record. The exact weights are in our methodology. Resident and out-of-state rates appear side by side wherever a school publishes both.

• School based in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee Residents Pay at Each School

Start with the totals, because per-credit rates hide differences. ETSU's 36-credit master's comes to $24,192 at the resident rate and $30,078 at the out-of-state online rate. Tennessee Tech's 30-credit M.A. comes to $22,260 for residents and $26,460 for out-of-state students, with fees extra. Memphis totals $20,910 for its 30 credits, and Trevecca's 36 credits total $20,268 in tuition.

Trevecca's number leaves out extras, so read its cost page closely. The school charges a $300 student resource fee per course, and its 2026 estimate puts the whole program at $23,818 once you add that fee, about $150 in books per course, $300 in lab fees and a $10 ACSM membership.

That's more than Memphis's $20,910 or Tennessee Tech's $22,260, though both of those schools say other fees apply too. Ask each one for a full fee schedule before you compare.

Memphis has two features worth using. It caps tuition at $6,970 a term, and its Credit for Prior Learning can satisfy up to 6 of the 12 elective hours based on health and fitness work experience or industry certifications. A personal trainer with certifications and years on a gym floor should ask about that credit first, since the school describes it as a way to cut cost and time.

Tennessee Tech's master's page also lists paid graduate assistantships, including strength and conditioning and Special Olympics administration, that cover tuition, fees and a monthly stipend. Ask the department whether online students can apply. And before you count on any resident rate at ETSU or Tennessee Tech, ask the registrar how each school decides Tennessee residency.

Does Tennessee Require a License for Exercise Science Work?

Not for exercise physiologists, personal trainers or coaches. The Tennessee Department of Health's professional boards list has no board for exercise physiologists. It does have a Board of Athletic Trainers, which licenses athletic trainers who work under a physician on the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.

That board points to CAATE, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, for educational programs, so athletic training is its own degree path.

The same list includes a Dietitians and Nutritionists board. Memphis's exercise nutrition master's blends exercise physiology with cellular nutrition, so ask the school whether the degree counts toward that license before you assume it does.

What carries weight in Tennessee are national certifications. ACSM says that starting Aug. 15, 2027, candidates for the ACSM-EP (Certified Exercise Physiologist) and ACSM-CEP (Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist) must graduate from a program accredited by CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or one that has started the process.

NSCA sets a separate rule. Starting Jan. 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) need a bachelor's degree from a program accredited by CASCE, the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education. Through Dec. 31, 2029, NSCA asks only for a bachelor's degree and current CPR/AED certification, so the CASCE rule looks at your bachelor's, and a master's doesn't change it.

None of Tennessee's five online programs states CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation. CAAHEP's public list shows Lipscomb University in Nashville with an accredited exercise science bachelor's, which CAAHEP doesn't flag as a distance program.

If you want the ACSM-CEP after 2027, ask each master's program in writing whether it has applied to CAAHEP, and ask ACSM how the rule treats your degree level. Trevecca is the one Tennessee program that says its curriculum is geared toward preparing you to sit for the CSCS.

Filling the Gap Where Tennessee Has No Online Bachelor's

Every online program on this page is a graduate degree. Tennessee Tech and Memphis both teach exercise science bachelor's programs, but we found no online version at either school. If you don't have a bachelor's yet, you'll be looking outside Tennessee or starting at a community college.

Tennessee's two-year route is cheaper than it looks. The Tennessee Reconnect Grant pays the remaining tuition and mandatory fees, after other state and federal aid, for eligible adults working toward an associate degree at a Tennessee community college or technical college.

And the Exercise Science Tennessee Transfer Pathway is an A.S. degree built to move into bachelor's programs at ETSU, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin, among others. Check each bachelor's format before you count on finishing online, and see our list of online associate degrees in exercise science.

If you want a bachelor's you can finish online now, two options stand out for a Tennessee resident. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma runs a fully online, CAAHEP-accredited bachelor's in health and human performance at $279 a credit, and it requires a practicum. The University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky charges $220 a credit for its online bachelor's, and that rate includes fees and books.

Our certification-ready list shows every bachelor's with CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation.

For a master's, the price gap is real. The University of North Georgia's online kinesiology master's costs $320 a credit before mandatory fees. Georgia Southern's coaching education master's also costs less per credit than Trevecca's $563, though it expects you to be coaching while you're enrolled.

The University of Florida's applied physiology and kinesiology master's ranks first of 99 in our scoring and costs more than Trevecca. See Georgia's list and our cheapest programs.