A kinesiology degree provides you with the education to become a specialist in movement of the human body, and there are more options with an online kinesiology degree. There are multiple different online kinesiology programs, related areas, and different degree levels that have course work available in an online environment. From a bachelors degree to a PhD, there’s an online kinesiology program available in the United States at reputable universities.
When obtaining a kinesiology degree, you won’t just learn about anatomy and movement, you’ll also receive education in other areas such as physiology, exercise science, neuroscience, and often nutrition and psychology as well. The goal of this education is to provide you with an in-depth understanding of how and why the body moves.
What can you do with an online Kinesiology degree?
Depending on which degree in Kinesiology you obtain, you have multiple options:
- Bachelor's in Kinesiology: A Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology can be a great starting point to pursue a career as a health professional. Those with this degree may go on to further education to become a physical therapist, nurse, occupational therapist, physician's assistant, or even to become a medical doctor. There are also career paths that you can take with a Bachelor’s alone. This could be becoming a health and wellness coach, a fitness professional such as a personal trainer, or a sports program director to name a few options.
- Master's in Kinesiology: With a Master’s degree in Kinesiology, your career opportunities open up even more in fitness and athletic settings. Athletic administrative positions may be easier to get with a Master’s degree. Becoming an exercise physiologist is also a career path that you can take with this degree.
- PhD in Kinesiology: With a PhD in Kinesiology, it is common to work in the field of kinesiology as a researcher or in academia as a collegeprofessor or teacher.
Review of Bachelors in Kinesiology degree programs
Oregon State University: Bachelor’s in Kinesiology
Oregon State University offers a program for receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. In this program, you’ll learn about how physical activity impacts health and learn how to use science to assess someone’s health and fitness. The courses in this program are taught by teachers who are both practitioners and researchers in the field of kinesiology. There are online lab courses in the curriculum to help you to learn the hands-on skills that you will need as a kinesiologist. You will be required to receive 3 credits where you use your skills in a hands-on setting. The program coordinator will help you to set this up to meet your needs.
There are a few entry requirements for this program. If you are going to be a first year student, an unweighted high school GPA of 3.0 is recommended. SAT and ACT scores are optional for this program. There are a few specific high school course requirements; you need 4 years of language arts, 3 years of math, 3 years of social studies, 3 years of science (at least 2 different sciences), and 2 years of a foreign language. A grade of C- or higher is required in these courses. GED students with a score of at least 680 with no subtest score less than 150 can apply as well. These scores are from GEDs taken January 2014 or later. Transferring from another college is also an option. This program does allow you to transfer credits which can be a plus for some!
This degree requires 180 credits with courses ranging from general education to kinesiology. Some examples of kinesiology coursework includes exercise physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and injury management. Each credit costs $366 bringing the total tuition for this program to $65,880.
North Carolina Central University: Kinesiology (Online), B.S.
NC Central University also offers a program for receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology. This program allows you to receive a kinesiology degree with a specific concentration on fitness and wellness. It’s designed to help you apply scientific knowledge to understand human performance. This program is very focused on preparing students to support public health and to be prepared to address health disparities.
Entry requirements for first year students includes a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 2.5. If you are below this, you may be eligible if your ACT score is 19 or SAT score is 1010. You need to have taken 4 English courses, 4 math courses, 3 sciences courses with at least one lab, 2 social studies courses, and 2 additional courses which can be from a range of options but language is recommended. Transfer students need 24 transferable credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
The total credit hours that you will need in this program are 120. Courses range from general education to kinesiology specific courses. Some courses you will find include physical activity for the aging, human anatomy and physiology, and weight training, just to name a few. Each credit costs $185 for in-state residents and $727.67 for out-of state residents. Total cost for instate residents is $22,200 and total cost for out of state residents is $87,320.40.
Kansas State University: Bachelor’s In Kinesiology
The next school that offers an online Bachelor’s program is Kansas State University. In this program you will learn everything from the basics of physical activity to the complexities of movement. This program is 100% online and will help those who love physical activity turn this into a fulfilling career.
Entry requirements for first year students include a weighted or unweighted high school GPA of at least 3.25 or an ACT score of 21 or a SAT ERW+M score of 1060. Transfer students need 24 transferable credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
120 credit hours are required for graduating from this program. The courses you’ll find range from general education to kinesiology specific courses. Some courses in this program include integrative health and human science courses, exercise physiology courses, and exercise behavioral science courses. Each credit costing $494.78 bringing your total tuition cost to $59,373.60.
Review of online Masters Kinesiology degree programs
Louisiana State University: Online Master of Science in Kinesiology
This Master’s program at LSU is designed to help you take an evidence based approach to sports performance and health challenges. With this education, you’ll learn not only how to properly evaluate health programs, but also how to plan them and put them into place. This program specifically specializes in health promotion and sport performance.
The entry requirements for this program include a Bachelor's degree required with minimum GPA of 3.0. You will also need 3 professional letters of recommendation. The GRE/GMAT requirement can be waived if you have a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of your undergraduate classes.
In this program you will take a range of coursework. Some examples of courses include social issues in sport, community health issues, and administrative problems in kinesiology. You need a total of 36 credit hours, each credit cost $639 bringing the total tuition for this program to $23,004.
California Baptist University: Master of Science in Kinesiology
This master’s program is designed to expand upon your knowledge of exercise and sport performance. The courses in this program are 100% online but that doesn’t deter from the experience. CBU still will have you practicing physical testing in their virtual format. WIth a full time course load, this degree will take you 1 year to complete.
The entry requirements for this program include a Bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75. You will need to have had a grade of C or better in your exercise physiology courses.
In this program you will find a range of courses but some highlights include ethics and leadership in kinesiology, advanced study of sport and exercise psychology, and fitness testing and exercise prescription for special populations. You will need to take 30 units for this degree, each unit costs $723 bringing your total tuition to $21,690.
University of North Dakota: Master’s of Science in Kinesiology
This is a 100% online program that is great for working professionals. It is designed to help you to go deeper into your education in performance science. This program is designed to be done while working and is estimated to take 2 years to complete.
The entry requirements for this program include a Bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75. Some examples of courses in this program include applied exercise physiology, applied sport psychology, sports biomechanics, and Esports and healthy gaming. You will also do your own individual research and are required to do an internship. You will need 30-32 credits to complete this degree, it costs $626 per credit bringing your total tuition to $20,032.
What is kinesiology and why do I need a degree?
In simple terms, kinesiology is the study of movement. It looks at how our body moves as well as how movement affects our body. Understanding movement is a vital piece when it comes to understanding the human body as the human body is designed for movement.
What are some other types of Kinesiology
Exercise science is closely related to kinesiology and oftentimes kinesiology programs include this in their coursework. Exercise science studies movement and the response of the body to movement. It’s about learning how exercise impacts the body and the body’s physiological response to exercise.
Athletic training is also closely related to the study of kinesiology but it is more focused on sports medicine and sports performance.
As you can see, there are many different paths that you can take in the field of kinesiology. There are many different degree options and multiple online programs available to help you to pursue a fulfilling career!
