New Jersey·Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-1128

Best Exercise Physiologist programs in New Jersey, 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.

21 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 777 people a year. The job pays a median of $64,680 in New Jersey across about 130 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledExercise SpecialistExercise PhysiologistClinical Exercise PhysiologistLifestyle and Weight Management ConsultantExercise PlannerKinesiotherapistExercise ScientistFitness Specialist
Graduates / yr
777
in New Jersey
Median pay · New Jersey
$64,680
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
130
people employed
Schools
21
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,902
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New Jersey that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in New Jersey that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New Jersey (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 New Jersey page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1749
96.4%
20$30,426$25,643
228
3.6%
3$31,146$23,384

Top 21 schools in New Jersey

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 21 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
190Exercise Science and Kinesiology$28,82084%58%
2Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
144Exercise Science and Kinesiology$29,90765%88%
3Kean University
Union, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
87Exercise Science and Kinesiology47%76%
4The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
51Exercise Science and Kinesiology86%62%
5Stockton University
Galloway, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
49Exercise Science and Kinesiology69%89%
6William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
44Exercise Science and Kinesiology$31,38244%90%
7Raritan Valley Community College
Branchburg, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
27Exercise Science and Kinesiology31%
8New Jersey City University
Jersey City, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
26Exercise Science and Kinesiology34%98%
9County College of Morris
Randolph, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
21Exercise Science and Kinesiology36%
10Georgian Court University
Lakewood, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
21Exercise Science and Kinesiology54%$19,50479%
11Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Exercise Science and Kinesiology61%$23,84479%
12Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester Campus
Sewell, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
15Exercise Science and Kinesiology39%
13Middlesex College
Edison, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
14Exercise Science and Kinesiology33%
14Sussex County Community College
Newton, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
14Exercise Science and Kinesiology37%
15Mercer County Community College
West Windsor, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
12Exercise Science and Kinesiology25%
16Rowan College at Burlington County
Mount Laurel, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
11Exercise Science and Kinesiology36%
17Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
10Exercise Science and Kinesiology26%
18Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Exercise Science and Kinesiology$19,73558%$14,44090%
19Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Exercise Science and Kinesiology56%$17,49083%
20Felician University
Lodi, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology47%$41,497
21Caldwell University
Caldwell, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Exercise Science and Kinesiology57%$21,90271%

All 21 schools in New Jersey

Every school in New Jersey 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.

All schools in New Jersey that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew BrunswickPublic1901
Montclair State UniversityMontclairPublic1441
Kean UniversityUnionPublic872
The College of New JerseyEwingPublic511
Stockton UniversityGallowayPublic491
William Paterson University of New JerseyWaynePublic442
Raritan Valley Community CollegeBranchburgPublic271
New Jersey City UniversityJersey CityPublic261
County College of MorrisRandolphPublic211
Georgian Court UniversityLakewoodPrivate not-for-profit211
Rider UniversityLawrencevillePrivate not-for-profit161
Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester CampusSewellPublic151
Middlesex CollegeEdisonPublic141
Sussex County Community CollegeNewtonPublic141
Mercer County Community CollegeWest WindsorPublic121

What exercise physiologists earn in New Jersey

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in New Jersey
$64,680
Mean annual
$67,870
Jobs in state
130
What the range looks like
10th pct$55,620Median$64,68090th pct$79,290
Versus the national median
+8.8%

U.S. median $59,460. New Jersey pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.53×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+9.5%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
1,700
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
2,300
23,900 → 26,100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in New Jersey

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 New Jersey.

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 749 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 96.4% 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 777 people a year in New Jersey.

How much do exercise physiologists earn in New Jersey?+

The median is $64,680 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.8% above 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 New Jersey?+

21 institutions in New Jersey 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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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