Texas·Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-1128

Best Exercise Physiologist programs in Texas, 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.

60 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,211 people a year. The job pays a median of $56,780 in Texas across about 520 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledExercise SpecialistExercise PhysiologistClinical Exercise PhysiologistLifestyle and Weight Management ConsultantExercise PlannerKinesiotherapistExercise ScientistFitness Specialist
Graduates / yr
5,211
in Texas
Median pay · Texas
$56,780
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
520
people employed
Schools
60
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,483
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Texas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 31.0505In Texas
4,339
83.3%
54$30,426$25,643
2
CIP 26.0908In Texas
872
16.7%
13$31,146$23,384

Top 25 schools in Texas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 36 of the 60 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
371Exercise Science and Kinesiology$37,04484%57%
2Texas State University
San Marcos, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
351Exercise Science and Kinesiology$33,03355%89%
3The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
351Exercise Science and Kinesiology$30,16053%87%
4The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
316Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology51%94%
5Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
303Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology69%73%
6Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
298Exercise Science and Kinesiology$36,11748%90%
7University of Houston
Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
281Exercise Science and Kinesiology$30,03565%74%
8The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
241Exercise Science and Kinesiology$35,58389%27%
9University of North Texas
Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
227Exercise Science and Kinesiology$35,03961%72%
10The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
218Exercise Science and Kinesiology$30,49954%80%
11The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
145Exercise Science and Kinesiology$23,01050%100%
12Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
139Exercise Science and Kinesiology$25,59443%79%
13Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
130Exercise Science and Kinesiology$32,42949%96%
14Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
122Exercise Science and Kinesiology$37,00555%90%
15Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
118Exercise Science and Kinesiology$38,24953%94%
16Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
91Exercise Science and Kinesiology$29,63240%89%
17East Texas A&M University
Commerce, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
89Exercise Science and Kinesiology$36,30543%92%
18University of Houston - Clear Lake
Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
82Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology52%91%
19The University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
79Exercise Science and Kinesiology$33,95754%94%
20Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
78Exercise Science and Kinesiology$24,86746%44%
21Texas A&M University - San Antonio
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
78Exercise Science and Kinesiology$32,70840%93%
22Angelo State University
San Angelo, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
73Exercise Science and Kinesiology$29,52844%83%
23West Texas A & M University
Canyon, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
71Exercise Science and Kinesiology$40,31355%99%
24Parker University
Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
63Exercise Science and Kinesiology74%$27,144
25Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
58Exercise Science and Kinesiology$32,30242%91%

All 60 schools in Texas

Every school in Texas 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 Texas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Texas A&M University - College StationCollege StationPublic3711
Texas State UniversitySan MarcosPublic3511
The University of Texas at San AntonioSan AntonioPublic3511
The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburgPublic3161
Texas Tech UniversityLubbockPublic3032
Tarleton State UniversityStephenvillePublic2981
University of HoustonHoustonPublic2811
The University of Texas at AustinAustinPublic2411
University of North TexasDentonPublic2272
The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonPublic2182
The University of Texas at El PasoEl PasoPublic1451
Prairie View A & M UniversityPrairie ViewPublic1391
Texas Woman's UniversityDentonPublic1301
Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsvillePublic1221
Stephen F Austin State UniversityNacogdochesPublic1182

What exercise physiologists earn in Texas

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

Median annual in Texas
$56,780
Mean annual
$57,340
Jobs in state
520
What the range looks like
10th pct$36,890Median$56,78090th pct$79,150
Versus the national median
-4.5%

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

Job concentration
0.67×

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

Metro areas in Texas

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$58,580median
130 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$57,590median
120 jobs
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$57,640median
30 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$53,480median
50 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 Texas

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 Texas.

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 4,339 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 83.3% 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 5,211 people a year in Texas.

How much do exercise physiologists earn in Texas?+

The median is $56,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.5% 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 Texas?+

60 institutions in Texas 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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card