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Physical Education

Types of Degrees Physical Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Physical Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	53
Associate’s Degree	2,243
Bachelor’s Degree	8,955
Master’s Degree	1,338
Doctor’s Degree	26

What Physical Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Physical Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to 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 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Physical Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Motion analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Twitter	Instant messaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Physical Education graduates include:

• Athletic Instructor
• Gymnasium Teacher
• Exercise Teacher
• Fitness Instructor
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Education Programs Professional
• Physical Education Teacher (PE Teacher)
• Sports Management Professor
• Associate Professor
• Health and Human Performance Professor
• Health Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Professor (HPER Professor)
• Leisure Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	35.5%
Bachelor’s degree	22.0%
Master’s degree	15.8%
Less than a high school diploma	8.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.9%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
Some college courses	0.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Physical Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.1% women and 48.9% men among Physical Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,459	51.1%
Men	6,174	48.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,016	39.7%
Asian	1,235	9.8%
Hispanic or Latino	3,820	30.2%
Black or African American	1,236	9.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	72	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	62	0.5%
Two or More Races	603	4.8%
Race Unknown	313	2.5%
International Students	276	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Physical Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Physical Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Physical Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for 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	14	11
Bachelor’s	9	10
Master’s	13	9

^{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 Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, 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	CIP Code
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	31.05
Exercise Science and Kinesiology	31.0505
Physical Fitness Technician	31.0507
Sport and Fitness Administration/Management	31.0504
Sports Studies	31.0508
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, Other	31.0599
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies	31.0101

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.