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Health & Physical Education

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 31.0501- 31.0599.

Types of Degrees Health & Physical Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Health & Physical Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	452
Associate’s Degree	5,729
Bachelor’s Degree	48,417
Master’s Degree	10,125
Doctor’s Degree	313

What Health & Physical Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Health & Physical Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health & Physical Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Health & Physical Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Health & Physical Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health & Physical Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health & Physical Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health & Physical Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Student record software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health & Physical Education graduates include:

• Athletic Instructor
• Gymnasium Teacher
• Fitness Specialist
• Exercise Specialist
• Exercise Scientist
• Clinical Exercise Specialist
• Cardiac Exercise Specialist
• Certified Exercise Physiologist (EPC)
• Sports Physiologist
• Exercise Planner
• Bariatric Weight Loss Counselor
• Clinical Exercise Physiologist
• Cardiac Exercise Physiologist
• Applied Exercise Physiologist
• Exercise Physiologist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health & Physical Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	35.2%
Doctoral degree	28.3%
Master’s degree	25.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%
Less than a high school diploma	2.5%
Postsecondary certificate	1.1%
Some college courses	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health & Physical Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.2% women and 52.8% men among Health & Physical Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	30,829	47.2%
Men	34,432	52.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health & Physical Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	34,526	52.9%
Asian	3,224	4.9%
Hispanic or Latino	12,564	19.3%
Black or African American	7,856	12.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	325	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	180	0.3%
Two or More Races	3,026	4.6%
Race Unknown	1,509	2.3%
International Students	2,051	3.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health & Physical Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Health & Physical Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,425
4 years	$47,075
5 years	$55,516

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $55,516 — roughly 61% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health & Physical Education Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Health & Physical Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	39	34
Bachelor’s	75	85
Master’s	145	81
Doctoral (Research)	4	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health & Physical Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Health & Physical Education graduates earn a median of $47,075 four years after completion — roughly 24% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Parks Recreation Fitness	70,398
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management	2,291
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies	2,155
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other	355
Outdoor Education	336
PARKS, RECREATION, LEISURE, FITNESS, AND KINESIOLOGY	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.