Best Exercise Physiologist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Assess, plan, or implement fitness programs that include exercise or physical activities such as those designed to improve cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, or.
30 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,092 people a year. The job pays a median of $56,640 in Iowa across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Iowa that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
2 programs in Iowa that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Iowa (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Iowa page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise Science and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 31.0505In Iowa → | 1,072 | 98.2% | 30 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 2 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 26.0908In Iowa → | 20 | 1.8% | 4 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 30 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 433 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $31,998 | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 210 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $36,492 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $35,914 | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 4 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $26,608 | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 5 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 6 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $35,439 | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 7 | Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 40% | — | — |
| 8 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $31,493 | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 9 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 10 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 11 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
| 12 | William Penn University Oskaloosa, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $30,314 | 33% | $21,533 | 52% |
| 13 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $36,495 | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 14 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 15 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 16 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $37,528 | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 17 | Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $38,356 | 62% | $17,609 | 78% |
| 18 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 19 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 20 | Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 50% | — | — |
| 21 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 39% | — | — |
| 22 | Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 43% | — | — |
| 23 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $32,709 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 24 | Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 51% | — | — |
| 25 | Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 43% | — | — |
All 30 schools in Iowa
Every school in Iowa with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 433 | 2 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 210 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 58 | 2 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 2 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 33 | 1 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 1 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Loras College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 1 |
| Dordt University | Sioux Center | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Wartburg College | Waverly | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Briar Cliff University | Sioux City | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 2 |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Mount Mercy University | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Northwestern College | Orange City | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
What exercise physiologists earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $59,460. Iowa pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Exercise Physiologists page.
How to become a Exercise Physiologist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Iowa
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Exercise Physiologists3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0908Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
- 31.0505Exercise Science and Kinesiology
- 51.2311Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist
Common questions
Answers for people weighing exercise physiologists programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become an Exercise Physiologist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Exercise Science and Kinesiology, which awarded 1,072 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 98.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Exercise Physiologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Sports, Physiology. Together they graduate about 1,092 people a year in Iowa.
How much do exercise physiologists earn in Iowa?+
The median is $56,640 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.7% below the U.S. median of $59,460. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for exercise physiologists growing?+
BLS projects a +9.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 1,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
30 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do exercise physiologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Exercise Specialist, Exercise Physiologist, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1128.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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