Best Online Exercise Science Programs in West Virginia (2026)

• Top Bachelor's73.6 out of 100

  American Public University System

  Bachelor of Science in Sports and Health Sciences

  West Virginia · B.S.

  American Public University System's B.S. Review
• Top Master's71.9 out of 100

  American Public University System

  Master of Science in Sports and Health Sciences

  West Virginia · M.S.

  American Public University System's M.S. Review

Both West Virginia schools are private for-profit, which makes this state unusual. Private for-profit schools run 11 of the 168 online programs in our database, and five of those 11 are here. APUS runs American Public University and American Military University from Charles Town, and it says it isn't affiliated with American University or the U.S. military.

Salem University is a small school with a 100-acre Appalachian campus and online courses taken one at a time.

Residency does little for you online. Salem's bachelor's is $475 a credit for students from West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania and $550 for everyone else, while its master's is $650 for all students. APUS lists $360 for its bachelor's and $470 for each master's with no separate in-state price. Nationally, the median online rate is $445 a credit for bachelor's programs and $610 for master's.

Pay is modest for the exercise jobs and better for coaching. BLS's May 2025 survey puts West Virginia's median for exercise physiologists at $50,270, against $59,460 nationally, and counts only 60 of those jobs. The lowest tenth earns $47,290 and the highest tenth $75,400. Trainers and group fitness instructors number 500, with a median of $38,120 against $47,160 nationally.

Coaches and scouts number 910 and have a median of $52,050, above the national $47,320.

For programs outside the state, West Virginia joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) on October 15, 2014, and its Higher Education Policy Commission is the portal agency. SARA makes it easier to take online courses from schools in other member states.

The commission says schools outside West Virginia that serve West Virginia residents should seek authorization, and that SARA participants are exempt. Ask any out-of-state school to confirm in writing that it can enroll you.

A program is on this page when its school is based in West Virginia and we've verified the program as online, either fully or with limited campus time. Two schools met that test, American Public University System (APUS) in Charles Town and Salem University in Salem, for five programs in all.

Programs are ordered by the six-factor Online Program Score in our methodology: cost, outcomes, online flexibility, credential alignment, program depth and track record. Rates come from each school's own pages. Wage data comes from BLS and never changes a score.

• School based in West Virginia, 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.

How the Five West Virginia Programs Differ

APUS offers three of the five. The bachelor's in Sports and Health Sciences is 120 credits at $360 each, which comes to $43,200 before transfer credit. You can transfer up to 90 credits, start any month, and take 8 to 16 week courses. The school lists $0 for textbooks and a $350 graduation fee. Lab kits are mailed to you, so there's no campus visit.

You pick General, Coaching Studies, Exercise Science, Fitness and Wellness Professional Studies, or Nutrition for Health and Fitness. It scores 73.6, first among 46 bachelor's programs, on low cost and 12 starts a year. Its credential score is low because no CAAHEP or CASCE accreditation is verified.

The two APUS master's programs are 36 credits at $470, or $16,920, and neither needs an entrance exam. The Sports and Health Sciences master's adds concentrations in Exercise and Chronic Disease, Exercise Science and Human Performance, and Health and Wellness Management. The Coaching and Athletic Development master's mixes sport science with sports business and coaching strategy. Both accept up to 15 transfer credits.

Salem's Master of Science in Health and Human Performance is 36 credits at $650, or $23,400, and asks for no GRE or GMAT. You take one course a month and can finish in as little as 12 months.

The Strength and Conditioning track includes an internship, and the other track is Sports Coaching Education. Semester fees of $150 for activity and $150 for technology come on top, plus a $120 textbook charge per course that you can opt out of.

Salem's biology bachelor's with a physiology and exercise science specialization is a biology degree first, and it takes about 40 months full time. It scores 34.4, mostly because of its price and the school's 20% graduation rate, against 57% at APUS. Those are whole-school federal rates, not program rates.

Certification Rules That Affect West Virginia Students

Two credential rules are changing. Starting August 15, 2027, candidates for the Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) and Clinical Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP) credentials must graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program, or one in the process of accreditation. ACSM is the American College of Sports Medicine, and its certification page links the new degree requirements.

The second rule comes from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Starting January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam need a bachelor's degree from a CASCE-accredited program. CASCE is the Collegiate Accreditation for Strength and Conditioning Education. The NSCA's CSCS page says today's degree requirement stays until December 31, 2029.

None of the five West Virginia programs is verified for CAAHEP or CASCE. Salem's master's aligns its Strength and Conditioning track with the CSCS body of knowledge, but Salem says the program doesn't guarantee certification or exam eligibility. And the 2030 rule looks at your bachelor's degree, not your master's. Our accreditation guide walks through both rules.

West Virginia does have campus options. CAAHEP's list shows programs at West Virginia University (a bachelor's and a clinical master's in exercise physiology), West Liberty University (the same two), Shepherd University (a bachelor's in health promotion and exercise science) and Wheeling University (a bachelor's in exercise science).

The CASCE list names Marshall University's bachelor's and master's in strength and conditioning and a West Virginia University bachelor's emphasis. None is on our online list.

If you need to stay online, start with our CAAHEP and CASCE list. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma has a CAAHEP-accredited online bachelor's at $279 a credit for students outside Oklahoma. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's master's in kinesiology is CASCE accredited and doesn't require the GRE.

Using Salem's Biology Degree as a Path to Physical Therapy

If physical therapy is the goal, Salem's biology degree is the West Virginia program built closest to it. Salem says the degree prepares you for further study such as physical or occupational therapy. Its core lists General Biology I and II, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, General Chemistry I and II with a lab, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and General Physics I and II with a lab.

That lines up with the prerequisites APTA calls most common for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs: anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry and physics, mostly with labs, plus psychology and statistics. Salem's core doesn't list psychology or statistics, so check whether the rest of your credits cover them. APTA also says no single major is required.

Two cautions from APTA. Some DPT programs only accept anatomy and physiology taken in a biology or similar department, not in kinesiology. And some want science prerequisites finished within the past seven to 10 years. Before you commit to any degree, pull the course lists for the DPT programs you'll apply to from the PTCAS directory. PTCAS is the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service.

BLS shows West Virginia physical therapists with a median of $96,600 and 1,310 jobs, against $102,760 nationally. That isn't a promise for any graduate, since you'd also need a doctorate. Our pre-physical therapy list shows lower-priced bachelor's programs in other states.

Ways to Lower the Bill for West Virginia Students

Start with the sticker prices. APUS's bachelor's is $43,200 for 120 credits, and the median online bachelor's in our database is $54,240. For a master's, APUS's 36 credits at $470 come to $16,920, under the $20,200 median, while Salem's $23,400 sits above it.

Out-of-state schools can undercut all of that. The University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky lists an online bachelor's at $220 a credit that includes books and fees, though its page carries no academic-year label. Northeastern State is $279 for non-Oklahoma residents.

For a master's, Georgia Southern University's 30-credit coaching education degree costs less per credit and in total than APUS's master's, before fees. But you must be coaching while you study, and the cohort starts only in summer.

Military and veteran students should compare rates first. APUS lists $250 a credit for its bachelor's and master's programs, and Salem lists $425 for its bachelor's and $495 for its master's. Our military list shows the others.

For grants, the West Virginia Higher Education Grant is need-based.

You complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 15 each year, and awards depend on annual legislative funding. The Promise Scholarship is for West Virginia high school graduates at public or independent institutions in the state and pays tuition and mandatory fees up to a yearly cap. Ask each school's aid office whether either applies to its online students.