North Dakota·Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-1128

Best Exercise Physiologist programs in North Dakota, 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.

7 schools in North Dakota run programs that feed this job, graduating 176 people a year. The job pays a median of $50,430 in North Dakota across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledExercise SpecialistExercise PhysiologistClinical Exercise PhysiologistLifestyle and Weight Management ConsultantExercise PlannerKinesiotherapistExercise ScientistFitness Specialist
Graduates / yr
176
in North Dakota
Median pay · North Dakota
$50,430
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
50
people employed
Schools
7
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
55%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,583
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Dakota that lead to this job

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

2 programs in North Dakota that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Dakota (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 North Dakota page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1173
98.3%
7$30,426$25,643
23
1.7%
1$31,146$23,384

Top 7 schools in North Dakota

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 7 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
66Exercise Science and Kinesiology60%77%
2North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Fargo, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
37Exercise Science and Kinesiology$36,64664%95%
3University of Mary
Bismarck, ND Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
28Exercise Science and Kinesiology67%$16,75375%
4University of Jamestown
Jamestown, ND Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
25Exercise Science and Kinesiology49%$19,58388%
5Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
17Exercise Science and Kinesiology51%37%
6Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
Ellendale, ND Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Exercise Science and Kinesiology46%$21,47526%
7Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
1Exercise Science and Kinesiology47%

All 7 schools in North Dakota

Every school in North Dakota 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 North Dakota that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of North DakotaGrand ForksPublic661
North Dakota State University - Main CampusFargoPublic371
University of MaryBismarckPrivate not-for-profit282
University of JamestownJamestownPrivate not-for-profit251
Dickinson State UniversityDickinsonPublic171
Trinity Bible College and Graduate SchoolEllendalePrivate not-for-profit21
Bismarck State CollegeBismarckPublic11

What exercise physiologists earn in North Dakota

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

Median annual in North Dakota
$50,430
Mean annual
$52,770
Jobs in state
50
What the range looks like
10th pct$49,030Median$50,43090th pct$64,590
Versus the national median
-15.2%

U.S. median $59,460. North Dakota pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
2.00×

Concentrated here: North Dakota employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

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 North Dakota

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 North Dakota.

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 173 degrees in North Dakota in 2024-25, 98.3% 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 176 people a year in North Dakota.

How much do exercise physiologists earn in North Dakota?+

The median is $50,430 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 15.2% 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 North Dakota?+

7 institutions in North Dakota 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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