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Physical Education & Coaching

A program that prepares individuals to teach physical education programs and/or to coach sports at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Physical Education & Coaching Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Physical Education & Coaching can earn 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

Coursework in 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

Skills 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

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
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query 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
• Associate Professor
• Instructor
• College Professor
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Teacher
• Coach
• Athletic Instructor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Faculty Member
• Literacy Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Physical Education & Coaching Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Physical Education & Coaching commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	11.6%	$84,688	$68,634–$100,743
Coaches and Scouts	-0.5%	$78,709	$66,388–$91,030
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors	-1.5%	$54,441	$43,368–$65,513

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

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. Earnings tend to climb 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 are documented 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?

Looking purely at 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Health Teacher Education	1,472
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051

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.