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
Master’s Degree	2,880
Doctor’s Degree	198
Graduate Certificate	24

What Exercise Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, exercise science majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Exercise Science Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in exercise science should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

A major in exercise science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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?

People with a exercise science degree often go into the following careers:

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

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

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 50% of the graduates are women, and 50% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	69
Black or African American	354
Hispanic or Latino	395
White	1,676
International Students	200
Other Races/Ethnicities	186

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Exercise Science, too. About 6.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Exercise Science

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

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to exercise science have obtained the following education levels.

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.