College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 528 colleges (528 of 528 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$28,522

Graduates only, early career.$29,685 two years out.

Median federal debt

$23,948

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.82×

82% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness report early-career pay between $25,344 and $31,398 — a spread of $6,054 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $25,344 median $28,522 75th pct $31,398

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 7 colleges $23,937 $6,333 0.34×

Associate's 9 colleges $22,881 $19,510 0.64×

Bachelor's 528 colleges $28,522 $23,948 0.82×

Master's 156 colleges $41,024 $30,119 0.72×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

American Public University System WV $47,616 $25,250 debt

Southern Methodist University TX $45,216 $22,581 debt

Dickinson State University ND $43,445 —

Seton Hall University NJ $42,237 $25,125 debt

Maryville University of Saint Louis MO $40,580 $15,867 debt

South Dakota State University SD $39,627 $24,068 debt

University of Massachusetts-Amherst MA $39,519 $23,250 debt

Shenandoah University VA $38,731 $25,432 debt

Citadel Military College of South Carolina SC $38,673 $23,000 debt

Oklahoma Panhandle State University OK $38,573 —

Rice University TX $38,232 $10,000 debt

University of South Carolina-Columbia SC $38,046 $21,500 debt

University of North Dakota ND $37,657 —

Winona State University MN $37,552 $25,000 debt

Louisiana Christian University LA $37,537 $23,000 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard