Best Exercise Physiologist programs in Michigan, 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 Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,407 people a year. The job pays a median of $55,080 in Michigan across about 570 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
2 programs in Michigan that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (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 Michigan page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise Science and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 31.0505In Michigan → | 1,348 | 95.8% | 30 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 2 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 26.0908In Michigan → | 59 | 4.2% | 5 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
Top 25 schools in Michigan
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 16 of the 30 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 363 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $28,045 | 81% | — | 85% |
| 2 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 158 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $29,913 | 67% | — | 83% |
| 3 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 157 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $43,506 | 93% | — | 16% |
| 4 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 116 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 58% | — | 81% |
| 5 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 88 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $32,850 | 59% | — | 90% |
| 6 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 61 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $26,676 | 58% | — | 85% |
| 7 | Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 51 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 58% | — | 88% |
| 8 | Albion College Albion, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $30,314 | 62% | $16,537 | 81% |
| 9 | Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $31,021 | 48% | — | 72% |
| 10 | Hope College Holland, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $25,862 | 80% | $21,746 | 79% |
| 11 | Adrian College Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $36,808 | 48% | $20,357 | 73% |
| 12 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $22,113 | 52% | — | 84% |
| 13 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 46% | — | 80% |
| 14 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 27 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 68% | — | 92% |
| 15 | Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 90% | — | 21% |
| 16 | Alma College Alma, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $25,445 | 63% | $22,790 | 57% |
| 17 | Madonna University Livonia, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 60% | $16,904 | 63% |
| 18 | Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $27,327 | 62% | $21,132 | 78% |
| 19 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 39% | $17,015 | 69% |
| 20 | The University of Olivet Olivet, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $24,879 | 35% | $21,946 | 83% |
| 21 | Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $26,309 | 74% | $22,391 | 71% |
| 22 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 51% | — | — |
| 23 | Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 72% | $17,800 | 82% |
| 24 | Lansing Community College Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 25% | — | — |
| 25 | Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $27,522 | 48% | $25,071 | 69% |
All 30 schools in Michigan
Every school in Michigan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | Public | 363 | 1 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale | Public | 158 | 1 |
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Public | 157 | 1 |
| Wayne State University | Detroit | Public | 116 | 1 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | Public | 88 | 2 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | Public | 61 | 2 |
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills | Public | 51 | 2 |
| Albion College | Albion | Private not-for-profit | 49 | 1 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center | Public | 44 | 1 |
| Hope College | Holland | Private not-for-profit | 43 | 1 |
| Adrian College | Adrian | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | Public | 29 | 2 |
| Michigan Technological University | Houghton | Public | 27 | 2 |
| Hillsdale College | Hillsdale | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
What exercise physiologists earn in Michigan
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $59,460. Michigan pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Michigan employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Michigan
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 Michigan
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 Michigan.
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 1,348 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 95.8% 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 1,407 people a year in Michigan.
How much do exercise physiologists earn in Michigan?+
The median is $55,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.4% 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 Michigan?+
30 institutions in Michigan 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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