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2024 Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Southwest Region

65 Colleges in the Southwest Region
9,549 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$32,216 Avg Early-Career Salary
Health & Physical Education is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #11 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 65 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of health & physical education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,549 degrees in health & physical education during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Health & Physical Education School

Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Southwest Region The phys ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Health & Physical Education rankings. For our Best Overall Health & Physical Education School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Health & Physical Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Phys Ed
Bachelor's Degrees in Phys Ed
Master's Degrees in Phys Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Phys Ed

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Health & Physical Education in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of phys ed degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Phys Ed

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$38,232 Median Starting Salary

Rice University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in health & physical education. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 104 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the health & physical education major at Rice University earn $6,016 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Rice University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
307 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$35,998 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a great option for students interested in a degree in health & physical education. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 307 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those health & physical education students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin make $3,782 more than the typical phys ed grad.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
538 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$39,511 Median Starting Salary

Texas A&M University - College Station is a good option for students interested in a degree in health & physical education. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were about 538 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Those health & physical education students who get their degree from Texas A&M University - College Station earn $7,295 more than the average phys ed graduate.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Texas A&M University - College Station

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$31,781 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in health & physical education needs to check out Arizona State University - Tempe. Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 364 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, phys ed degree recipients typically earn about $31,781 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Arizona State University - Tempe

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 133 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those health & physical education students who get their degree from Southern Methodist University make $14,680 more than the standard phys ed graduate.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Southern Methodist University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
417 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$34,314 Median Starting Salary

UH is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were approximately 417 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent data year. Those health & physical education students who get their degree from University of Houston earn $2,098 more than the standard phys ed grad.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from University of Houston

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$37,934 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were approximately 124 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available. Health & Physical Education degree recipients from Baylor University receive an earnings boost of around $5,718 above the typical income of health & physical education majors.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Baylor University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
23.2% Growth in Graduates

SNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bethany. This university ranks 5th out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 56 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at SNU in the most recent year we have data available. Those health & physical education students who get their degree from Southern Nazarene University make $13,193 more than the typical phys ed student.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Southern Nazarene University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
456 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$33,478 Median Starting Salary

Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of San Marcos. This university ranks 20th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 456 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, phys ed degree recipients typically earn about $33,478 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Texas State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In OK
95 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #227 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were about 95 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Health & Physical Education students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Southwest Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
11Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
12University of North TexasDenton, TX
13Tarleton State UniversityStephenville, TX
14Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsville, TX
15Texas Woman’s UniversityDenton, TX
16Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges by State

Explore the best health & physical education colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas3177,194
Arizona287929
Oklahoma2571,053
New Mexico219141

View All Rankings >

Health & Physical Education is one of 4 different types of Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies programs to choose from.

Phys Ed Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology6,174
Sports Management1,690
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General1,163
Physical Fitness Technician335
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness155
Sports Studies32

View All Phys Ed Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies259
Recreation Administration179
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies43
Outdoor Education34

View All Phys Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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