Exercise Science

Types of Degrees Exercise Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many exercise science and kinesiology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	26,462
Master’s Degree	2,880
Associate Degree	2,675
Doctor’s Degree	198
Basic Certificate	70
Graduate Certificate	24
Undergraduate Certificate	16

What Exercise Science Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to exercise science and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Exercise Science Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Exercise Science Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to exercise science:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Exercise Science Majors

As a exercise science major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Exercise Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with exercise science:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Exercise Physiologists	13.2%	$49,270

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science?

This major is dominated by women with about 58% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of exercise science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,325
Black or African American	2,976
Hispanic or Latino	4,395
White	15,294
International Students	519
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,953

Geographic Diversity

Exercise Science appeals to people across the globe. About 2.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Exercise Science

Some careers associated with exercise science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for exercise science careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	32.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	10.7%
Master’s Degree	57.1%

Online Exercise Science Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	10	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	204	9
Bachelor’s Degree	15	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	208	32
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	49	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Exercise Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to exercise science.

Major	Number of Grads
Sports Management	17,134
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General	12,809
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness	1,269
Physical Fitness Technician	1,232
Sports Studies	616

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.