My main goal from grad school is kinesiology there is no just exercise science. Grad schools are interesting.
Long term goals of strength and conditioning coach while personal training on the side. Need these to do an internship at anyone of the Universities I want to go. I met with my department head yesterday and she said rack up papers like no other.
You should look into schools that have a strength and conditioning masters program. Springfield college (Mass) has a really good one, and a lot of grads are placed right after they graduate with collegiate or pro teams. A buddy of mine is working as an assistant strength coach for the Buffalo Bills.
If your goal is S&C, then the CSCS will help. You'll also need formal education, generally a masters, and a lot of internship time as well as connections. Make sure the school you go to is accredited by the NSCA for strength and conditioning, and see what the professors/advisors have for contacts.
Next, I suggest you look into what it means to be a strength coach. The time, travel, and pay involved. I started my grad academic career wanting to be a strength coach at an elite level. However, while in school I found the hard science and the research and discovery of new material was more fascinating than the application and coaching. I also was dissuaded by the average work day (12 hours) and the pay. Also, realize, there is a big difference between being a personal trainer and a strength coach. You may be working with 20-30 athletes at one time as a S&C coach.
WIU offers a lot and I mean a lot of ways to get paid for school plus tuition and has a very good program for those wanting to work as a strength coach. UIC offers a great clinical program and an easy to transfer to a doctorate where they will pay for a lot of it.
Most grad schools offer fellowships where tuition will be reimbursed, so I wouldn't make that your number one priority.
Here is how it goes I will finish my masters at in theory 27 and my doctorate at 29. Do I really want to be in school that long.... I was told no school will hire you as a professor without being a doctorate no matter how good your credits are.
Yup, I will be finished with my PhD at 30. And yes, its not likely you'll get a job as a professor on the tenure track without a PhD.
But, if you want to be a professor, also realize you are going to be in school the REST of your life. Big colleges expect you to carry out experiments and publish in scholarly journals. its a lot of research and a lot of writing. If you don't enjoy researching and writing about topics within the exercise and sport sciences field, then I would heavily suggest against going on for the PhD.
Br