2024 Best Health & Physical Education Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

Health & Physical Education is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #23 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Health & Physical Education Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 194 master's degrees in health & physical education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Health & Physical Education School for Your Master's Degree

Your choice of health & physical education for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on health & physical education students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of health & physical education students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for health & physical education to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized health & physical education related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for health & physical education students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The phys ed school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Health & Physical Education Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Health & Physical Education in North Carolina

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for health & physical education students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Master's in Phys Ed

1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

15 Annual Graduates

$46,388 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in health & physical education. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the health & physical education major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $7,649 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in health & physical education from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2

Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC

22 Annual Graduates

Western Carolina University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in health & physical education. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Western Carolina University

3

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

10 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Wake Forest University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in health & physical education. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Wake Forest University

4

East Carolina University
Greenville, NC

28 Annual Graduates

$36,994 Median Starting Salary

East Carolina University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in health & physical education. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, phys ed master's recipients usually make an average of $36,994 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in health & physical education from East Carolina University

5

Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC

6 Annual Graduates

Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Boiling Springs.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Gardner - Webb University

6

Appalachian State University
Boone, NC

21 Annual Graduates

$37,238 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Boone.

Soon after graduating, phys ed master's recipients usually make about $37,238 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Appalachian State University

7

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC

23 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

8

Lenoir - Rhyne University
Hickory, NC

5 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Hickory, Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Lenoir - Rhyne University

9

Wingate University
Wingate, NC

34 Annual Graduates

$34,335 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Wingate, Wingate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program make around $34,335 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in health & physical education from Wingate University

10

North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC

21 Annual Graduates

North Carolina Central University is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Durham.More information about a master’s in health & physical education from North Carolina Central University

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	208	409
Georgia	190	293
Virginia	182	417
Tennessee	166	269
Alabama	151	160
Kentucky	147	151
Louisiana	147	152
South Carolina	146	171
Mississippi	145	147
Arkansas	121	270
West Virginia	112	216

View All Rankings >

Health & Physical Education Related Rankings by Major

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Health & Physical Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Phys Ed Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology	111
Sports Management	56
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General	27

Majors Similar to Phys Ed

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Recreation Administration	48
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies	4

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.