Credentials
5 credentials, grouped by the degree each one sits on top of. Every fee and eligibility rule below was read off the issuing body’s own page, and each record carries the date it was checked.
Eligibility rules with an announced date attached. Worth knowing before you choose an undergraduate program, not after.
National Strength and Conditioning Association
CSCS
From 1 January 2030, candidates in the United States must hold their bachelor’s degree from a CASCE-accredited program to be eligible. The current standard, a bachelor’s in any field, applies through 31 December 2029. For international candidates the requirement starts in 2036. If you are choosing an undergraduate program now and strength and conditioning is the goal, CASCE accreditation is worth checking before you enroll.
National Strength and Conditioning Association
NSCA Certified Personal Trainer
No degree required. Useful as the credential a kinesiology student can hold while still enrolled, which is how the clinical hours other certifications ask for get accumulated.
National Strength and Conditioning Association
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
The credential college strength and conditioning jobs expect. Its eligibility rule changes in 2030, and that change is the single most important thing on this page.
American College of Sports Medicine
ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist
The credential a kinesiology bachelor’s is built to qualify you for. It is the only certification here whose stated prerequisite is a degree in this exact field.
American College of Sports Medicine
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist
The clinical tier. Reachable from a bachelor’s, but only with 1,200 hours of hands-on clinical experience. A master’s cuts that to 600.
Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer
Certified Athletic Trainer
The one credential here that is a genuine gate. You cannot sit the exam without graduating from a CAATE-accredited program, and those are now master’s-level.