Best Exercise Physiologist programs in Tennessee, 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.
19 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,295 people a year. The job pays a median of $53,570 in Tennessee across about 140 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
1 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (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 Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise Science and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 31.0505In Tennessee → | 1,295 | 100.0% | 19 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
Top 19 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 352 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $32,305 | 51% | — | 72% |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 325 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $27,374 | 74% | — | 42% |
| 3 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 184 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $29,772 | 50% | — | 81% |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 92 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $32,966 | 54% | — | 69% |
| 5 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $32,464 | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 6 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $31,846 | 40% | — | 96% |
| 7 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 46% | $19,206 | 67% |
| 8 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $25,972 | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 9 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $26,830 | 50% | $18,981 | 63% |
| 10 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 11 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 49% | $24,187 | 65% |
| 12 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $25,768 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 13 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $22,825 | 25% | $22,577 | 72% |
| 14 | Union University Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 66% | $25,882 | 60% |
| 15 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $22,135 | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 16 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $31,638 | 35% | $21,324 | 60% |
| 17 | King University Bristol, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 48% | $23,546 | 100% |
| 18 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 53% | $14,286 | 69% |
| 19 | Maryville College Maryville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 50% | $20,489 | 61% |
All 19 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee 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 Memphis | Memphis | Public | 352 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 325 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga | Public | 184 | 1 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 92 | 1 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 51 | 1 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 41 | 1 |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 1 |
| Carson - Newman University | Jefferson City | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 1 |
| Lincoln Memorial University | Harrogate | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 1 |
| Southern Adventist University | Collegedale | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 18 | 1 |
| Tusculum University | Greeneville | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Union University | Jackson | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Lee University | Cleveland | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
What exercise physiologists earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $59,460. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Tennessee
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 Tennessee
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 Tennessee.
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 1,295 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 100.0% 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 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Sports. Together they graduate about 1,295 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do exercise physiologists earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $53,570 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.9% 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 Tennessee?+
19 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 1 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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