Exercise Science and Kinesiology Careers
Exercise science and exercise physiology both grew, while their broader earnings benchmarks and connected career requirements differed.
Compare exercise-science and kinesiology degrees with fitness, coaching, therapy, and health-related careers. Combine IPEDS trends, College Scorecard earnings, ACS or NSCG alignment, CIP–SOC, BLS employment, wages and projections, job requirements, and licenses where covered. Show which careers require additional education or credentials. Create one chart and cite every release.
Both fields grew, while career-entry requirements differ
Use the replacement faceted chart above. Each panel represents one field of study.
IPEDS reported 26,280 Exercise Science and Kinesiology bachelor’s degrees in 2023–24, compared with 20,686 in 2014–15.
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology increased from 2,252 to 5,192 degrees over the same period.
These are national first-major degree counts from revised IPEDS releases. They do not measure enrollment, current offerings, or graduate placement.
Earnings apply to broader field groups
The exercise-science benchmark uses the broader Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness group.
Its weighted bachelor’s medians were $29,224 after one year and $55,330 after four years.
The exercise-physiology benchmark uses Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences.
Its corresponding medians were $25,903 and $61,342.
These are broader-field outcomes, not separate estimates for either exact degree.
The available benchmark does not provide a measure-specific outcome period or release identifier.
Therapy and athletic training usually require more education
| Career | Typical entry education | May 2025 median wage | Projected growth, 2024–34 | Published licensing coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness instructors | High school diploma | $47,160 | 11.9% | No mapped record |
| Coaches and scouts | Bachelor’s degree | $47,320 | 6.4% | 10 jurisdictions |
| Exercise physiologists | Bachelor’s degree | $59,460 | 9.5% | 6 jurisdictions |
| Athletic trainers | Master’s degree | $62,520 | 11.1% | 48 jurisdictions |
| Occupational therapists | Master’s degree | $100,330 | 13.8% | 53 jurisdictions |
| Physical therapists | Doctoral or professional degree | $102,760 | 10.9% | 53 jurisdictions |
The table uses BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from May 2025.
Its projections come from BLS Employment Projections for 2024–34.
Athletic training and occupational therapy typically require education beyond a bachelor’s degree. Physical therapy typically requires a doctoral or professional degree.
Licensing coverage counts published records, not states where a license is definitively required. Requirements differ by jurisdiction.
The official degree-to-career link is narrower
Exercise Science and Kinesiology links directly to Exercise Physiologists in the official CIP–SOC crosswalk.
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology also links to medical scientists and postsecondary biological-science teachers.
Fitness, coaching, athletic training, and therapy are useful nearby directions. They are not direct crosswalk links for Exercise Science and Kinesiology.
Crosswalk links describe structural preparation. They do not measure placement, shortages, causality, or employment effects.
Career preparation uses ONET 30.3. License mappings target ONET 31.0.
CareerOneStop licensing data was updated October 14, 2024, and retrieved August 20, 2026.
ACS or NSCG alignment remains omitted because no citable alignment measure was available.
Bachelor’s degrees increased in both exercise-related fields, 2014–15 to 2023–24
Two-panel line chart of national first-major bachelor’s degrees across ten IPEDS collection cycles. Exercise Science and Kinesiology rises from 20,686 degrees in 2014–15 to 26,280 in 2023–24. Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology rises from 2,252 to 5,192. These counts are reported degrees, not enrollment or graduate placement.
| Field of study | IPEDS collection cycle | Bachelor’s degrees | Cip6 | Cip Title | Coverage State | Crosswalk Source Release | Mapping Ambiguity | Mapping State | Publication Date | Reference Period End | Reference Period Label | Reference Period Start | Release Stage | Source Release Id |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2014-15 | 2,252 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2017-01-13 | 2016-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender:July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 (revised August 2016) | 2013-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2014-15-revised-2017-01-13 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2014-15 | 20,686 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2017-01-13 | 2016-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender:July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 (revised August 2016) | 2013-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2014-15-revised-2017-01-13 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2015-16 | 3,188 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2018-07-24 | 2017-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 (revised November 2017) | 2014-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2015-16-revised-2018-07-24 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2015-16 | 22,652 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2018-07-24 | 2017-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 (revised November 2017) | 2014-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2015-16-revised-2018-07-24 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2016-17 | 3,317 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2018-12-03 | 2018-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 (revised August 2018) | 2015-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2016-17-revised-2018-12-03 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2016-17 | 23,693 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2018-12-03 | 2018-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 (revised August 2018) | 2015-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2016-17-revised-2018-12-03 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2017-18 | 3,523 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2019-10-28 | 2019-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 (revised August 2019) | 2016-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2017-18-revised-2019-10-28 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2017-18 | 25,112 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2019-10-28 | 2019-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 (revised August 2019) | 2016-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2017-18-revised-2019-10-28 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2018-19 | 3,879 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2021-01-27 | 2020-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2017 to June 30 2018, (revised July 2020) | 2017-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2018-19-revised-2021-01-27 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2018-19 | 25,409 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2021-01-27 | 2020-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2017 to June 30 2018, (revised July 2020) | 2017-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2018-19-revised-2021-01-27 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2019-20 | 3,667 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2021-10-28 | 2021-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 (revised July 2021) | 2018-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2019-20-revised-2021-10-28 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2019-20 | 25,545 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | nces-cip-2010-to-2020-crosswalk | one_to_one | direct | 2021-10-28 | 2021-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 (revised July 2021) | 2018-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2019-20-revised-2021-10-28 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2020-21 | 3,745 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2022-11-09 | 2022-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 (revised August 2022) | 2019-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2020-21-revised-2022-11-09 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2020-21 | 25,458 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2022-11-09 | 2022-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 (revised August 2022) | 2019-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2020-21-revised-2022-11-09 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2021-22 | 4,008 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2023-12-07 | 2023-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (revised September 2023) | 2020-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2021-22-revised-2023-12-07 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2021-22 | 26,950 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2023-12-07 | 2023-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (revised September 2023) | 2020-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2021-22-revised-2023-12-07 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2022-23 | 4,716 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2024-11-22 | 2024-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 (revised August 2024) | 2021-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2022-23-revised-2024-11-22 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2022-23 | 26,407 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2024-11-22 | 2024-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 (revised August 2024) | 2021-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2022-23-revised-2024-11-22 |
| Exercise physiology and kinesiology | 2023-24 | 5,192 | 26.0908 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2025-12-30 | 2025-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 (revised September 2025) | 2022-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2023-24-revised-2025-12-30 |
| Exercise science and kinesiology | 2023-24 | 26,280 | 31.0505 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology. | observed | — | one_to_one | direct | 2025-12-30 | 2025-12-31 | Awards/degrees conferred by program (6-digit CIP code), award level, race/ethnicity, and gender: July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 (revised September 2025) | 2022-01-01 | revised | ipeds-c-2023-24-revised-2025-12-30 |