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Physical Education & Coaching

Types of Degrees Physical Education & Coaching Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	62
Associate’s Degree	210
Bachelor’s Degree	4,649
Master’s Degree	1,885
Doctor’s Degree	31

What Physical Education & Coaching Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Physical Education & Coaching emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Physical Education & Coaching program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Physical Education & Coaching careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Physical Education & Coaching graduates include:

• Educator
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Teacher
• Coach
• Athletic Instructor
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Education Teacher
• Educational Administration Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	46.6%
Bachelor’s degree	30.9%
Master’s degree	9.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.6%
Less than a high school diploma	2.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Postsecondary certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Physical Education & Coaching?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40.7% women and 59.3% men among Physical Education & Coaching graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,831	40.7%
Men	4,133	59.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,477	64.3%
Asian	135	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	799	11.5%
Black or African American	919	13.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	54	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	17	0.2%
Two or More Races	240	3.4%
Race Unknown	175	2.5%
International Students	148	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Physical Education & Coaching Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Physical Education & Coaching graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Physical Education & Coaching Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Physical Education & Coaching. 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	2	4
Bachelor’s	9	15
Master’s	29	23

^{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 Physical Education & Coaching Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Physical Education & Coaching graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305

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.