Is Kinesiology a STEM Major? What the Federal List Says

The DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List names fields of study by their Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. The CIP is the federal taxonomy schools use to report every program they offer. The list is built from four two-digit series: engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences.

Inside the biological sciences series, code 26.0908, Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology, is listed. Code 31.0505, Kinesiology and Exercise Science, sits in a different series (parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies) and does not appear on the list.

That second code is the one every program on this site shares. Our rankings cover 568 programs, all reported to the federal government under 31.0505. A school can still choose 26.0908 for a program it builds around exercise physiology, so two programs with similar course lists can carry different answers.

The list exists for one purpose. It identifies degrees that qualify an international student on an F-1 visa for the 24-month STEM extension of Optional Practical Training, the work permission that follows graduation. A STEM-designated degree can add up to two years on top of the standard period.

Outside that rule, STEM is a loose label. Some scholarships, grants and school programs define it their own way, and employers rarely ask. Read each scholarship’s own eligibility page rather than assuming a federal list applies.

Do not rely on the degree title. A bachelor’s called kinesiology, exercise science, human movement or exercise physiology can be filed under either code, and a school’s marketing page almost never says which.

• Ask the school’s international student office which CIP code is on the Form I-20 for your program.
• Ask whether the code could change if you pick a concentration, since some schools assign codes by track.
• Get the answer in writing before you pay a deposit, and keep it with your admission papers.

If STEM designation matters to your plans, make it a screening question when you build a shortlist from the bachelor’s rankings, the same way you would ask about cost or clinical placements.

More than the label suggests. Nearly every program requires human anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and statistics, and exercise physiology courses build on all four. Programs with a pre-health track add chemistry and physics, each with a lab.

Those are the same courses graduate programs check. Our post on whether a kinesiology degree covers DPT prerequisites shows how to compare your transcript against a physical therapy school’s list, which matters far more to an admissions committee than any STEM label.

Exercise physiologists, the clinical role closest to a kinesiology bachelor’s, earn a median of $59,460 a year (BLS, May 2025). The exercise physiologist career profile covers the degree and certification route, and the salary page breaks pay out by state.

Two graduate-entry roles draw many kinesiology majors. Occupational therapists earn a median of $100,330 and physical therapists $102,760. Both need a graduate degree, so your kinesiology bachelor’s is preparation for them, not a substitute.

Every figure in this guide is computed at build time from the same federal IPEDS data behind the program rankings, so it moves when the data moves rather than being typed in once. Wage figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. Certification rules come from the issuing body’s own page, with the date each was checked on the certification pages.