Best Exercise Physiologist programs in Washington, 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.
14 schools in Washington run programs that feed this job, graduating 526 people a year. The job pays a median of $81,310 in Washington across about 160 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Washington that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
2 programs in Washington that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Washington (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 Washington page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 26.0908In Washington → | 306 | 58.2% | 6 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 2 | Exercise Science and Kinesiologymain feeder CIP 31.0505In Washington → | 220 | 41.8% | 8 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
Top 14 schools in Washington
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 14 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 146 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 60% | — | 87% |
| 2 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | $25,379 | 43% | — | 91% |
| 3 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 57 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $29,268 | 65% | — | 93% |
| 4 | Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $35,268 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 5 | Seattle University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 76% | $31,900 | 77% |
| 6 | Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $33,449 | 69% | $19,944 | 78% |
| 7 | Gonzaga University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | $33,486 | 86% | $30,006 | 82% |
| 8 | Saint Martin's University Lacey, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 52% | $22,131 | 90% |
| 9 | University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | $22,260 | 68% | $35,057 | 72% |
| 10 | Whitworth University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 71% | $23,510 | 90% |
| 11 | Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | $26,478 | 62% | $24,653 | 83% |
| 12 | Bellevue College Bellevue, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 36% | — | — |
| 13 | Walla Walla University College Place, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Exercise Science and Kinesiology | — | 60% | $22,260 | — |
| 14 | Northwest University Kirkland, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 71% | $21,433 | 83% |
All 14 schools in Washington
Every school in Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State University | Pullman | Public | 146 | 1 |
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | Public | 63 | 1 |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham | Public | 57 | 1 |
| Central Washington University | Ellensburg | Public | 55 | 1 |
| Seattle University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 47 | 1 |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 1 |
| Gonzaga University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 1 |
| Saint Martin's University | Lacey | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| University of Puget Sound | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Whitworth University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| Bellevue College | Bellevue | Public | 4 | 1 |
| Walla Walla University | College Place | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Northwest University | Kirkland | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
What exercise physiologists earn in Washington
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $59,460. Washington pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Washington
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 Washington
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 Washington.
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 Physiology and Kinesiology, which awarded 306 degrees in Washington in 2024-25, 58.2% 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 Physiology, Sports. Together they graduate about 526 people a year in Washington.
How much do exercise physiologists earn in Washington?+
The median is $81,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 36.7% 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 Washington?+
14 institutions in Washington 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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