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2025 Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Tennessee

12 Colleges in Tennessee
1,264 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded
Ranked #22 in popularity, exercise science and kinesiology is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Tennessee ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,264 degrees in exercise science and kinesiology annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Exercise Science and Kinesiology School

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Tennessee The exercise science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Exercise Science and Kinesiology rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for exercise science and kinesiology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Exercise Science and Kinesiology Degree Level

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

The exercise science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Tennessee. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Exercise Science and Kinesiology in Tennessee

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the exercise science degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Tennessee Schools in Exercise Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TN
261 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat The University of Tennessee - Knoxville if you wish to pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were approximately 261 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TN
402 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

University of Memphis is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. UofM is a fairly large public university located in the city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #807 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were roughly 402 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent data year.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TN
137 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat Middle Tennessee State University if you want to pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro. This university ranks 18th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 137 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TN

Cumberland University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Located in the town of Lebanon, CU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 30 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at CU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In TN

Located in the small city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #802 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 19 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TN
212 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #959 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Chattanooga is a great university overall.

There were roughly 212 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

7
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In TN

Belmont is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #237 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.

There were roughly 18 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent year we have data available.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In TN

Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized public university located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville. This university ranks 25th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 12 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TN
32 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Jefferson City. This university ranks 22nd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 32 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Carson - Newman in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Carson - Newman University

10
Bethel crest
Bethel University
McKenzie, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18th Most Popular In TN

Bethel is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of McKenzie. This university ranks 24th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 1 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Bethel in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 715 668
North Carolina 710 1,238
Georgia 690 948
Virginia 630 557
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 >

Exercise Science and Kinesiology is one of 5 different types of Health & Physical Education programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 593
Sports Management 459
Sports Studies 16
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 4
Physical Fitness Technician 1

View All Exercise Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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