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2025 Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
1,347 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #22 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,347 degrees in exercise science and kinesiology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Exercise Science and Kinesiology School

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in North Carolina Your choice of exercise science and kinesiology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Exercise Science and Kinesiology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Exercise Science and Kinesiology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Exercise Science
Master's Degrees in Exercise Science
Doctor's Degrees in Exercise Science

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Exercise Science and Kinesiology in North Carolina

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the exercise science degree levels they offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Exercise Science

1
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NC
83 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in exercise science and kinesiology has to take a look at Wake Forest University. Located in the large city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were about 83 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Wake Forest University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In NC
40.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you wish to pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 25 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NC
48 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Elon University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Elon is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Elon University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
298 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Appalachian State University if you want to pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 298 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Appalachian State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NC
207 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were roughly 207 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In NC
3.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from East Carolina University

7
Campbell crest
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NC
73 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the fringe town of Buies Creek, Campbell is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 49th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 73 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Campbell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Campbell University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NC
182 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington. A Best Colleges rank of #415 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were about 182 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Barton College crest
Barton College
Wilson, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In NC
41.4% Growth in Graduates

Barton College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Wilson. This college ranks 65th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 29 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Barton College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Barton College

10
Wingate crest
Wingate University
Wingate, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In NC
40 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Wingate, Wingate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 60th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 40 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Wingate in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Wingate University

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 715 668
Georgia 690 948
Virginia 630 557
Tennessee 624 1,270
South Carolina 530 424
Kentucky 518 375
Mississippi 501 720
Alabama 500 575
Louisiana 489 323
Arkansas 466 325
West Virginia 410 542

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Health & Physical Education area of study, Exercise Science and Kinesiology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Exercise Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sports Management 815
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 622
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 133
Physical Fitness Technician 55
Sports Studies 45

View All Exercise Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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