Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Physical Education Teaching Major

Physical Education Teaching

5,830 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,717 Master's Degrees Annually
#77 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Physical Education Teaching Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many physical education teaching & coaching graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 4,666
Master’s Degree 1,554
Basic Certificate 304
Associate Degree 199
Graduate Certificate 99
Undergraduate Certificate 47
Doctor’s Degree 32

What Physical Education Teaching Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, physical education teaching majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Physical Education Teaching Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in physical education teaching should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

undefined
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Physical Education Teaching Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to physical education teaching:

undefined
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Physical Education Teaching Majors

Physical Education Teaching majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

undefined
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Physical Education Teaching Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physical education teaching:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Coaches and Scouts 12.9% $33,780
Education Professors 10.3% $64,780
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors 10.0% $39,820
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $58,600
Recreation and Fitness Studies Professors 9.7% $62,620
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education Teaching?

4,666 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
44% Percent Women
34% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 56% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physical education teaching majors is as follows:

undefined
Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 98
Black or African American 717
Hispanic or Latino 545
White 2,930
International Students 71
Other Races/Ethnicities 305

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Physical Education Teaching. About 1.5% of those with this major are international students.

Some careers associated with physical education teaching require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to physical education teaching have obtained the following education levels.

undefined
Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 2.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 5.1%
Some College Courses 1.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 7.3%
Bachelor’s Degree 37.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 6.0%
Master’s Degree 16.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.6%
Doctoral Degree 22.0%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.0%

Online Physical Education Teaching Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 13 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 38 3
Bachelor’s Degree 31 8
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 132 25
Post-Master’s 5 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 9 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 2 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physical education teaching.

Major Number of Grads
Reading Teacher Education 5,922
Music Education 4,649
Mathematics Education 3,159
English & Language Arts Education 3,104
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 2,398
Social Studies Education 1,955
Art Education 1,711
Health Education 1,536
Science Education 1,133
Agricultural Teacher Education 1,132
History Education 834
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education 778
Biology Education 773
Social Science Teacher Education 503
Technology Education 464
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist 401
Spanish Education 373
Modern Language Education 349
Technical Teacher Education 307
Computer Teacher Education 291
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education 253
Chemistry Education 225
Drama & Dance Education 223
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education 153
Earth Science Teacher Education 114
Physics Education 113
Environmental Education 96
Health Occupations Teacher Education 74
Speech Teacher Education 65
Driver & Safety Teacher Education 49
French Language Teacher Education 25
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education 9
German Language Teacher Education 8
Distributive Education 7
Psychology Teacher Education 6
Latin Teacher Education 6
Geography Teacher Education 2

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.