by our College Data Analytics Team
[Health And Physical Education](/majors/parks-recreation-fitness/health-and-physical-education/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their health and physical education graduates go on to command.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find where health and physical education graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send health and physical education graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in health and physical education, no school beat University Of Michigan Ann Arbor this year. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public institution. Early-career health and physical education graduates from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor make a median of around $70,763 per year.
A rank of #2 makes Michigan State University one of the highest-paying schools for health and physical education. Set in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a public institution. Students who complete the health and physical education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,996.
A rank of #3 makes Central Michigan University one of the highest-paying schools for health and physical education. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University is a public institution. Students who complete the health and physical education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $65,370.
A rank of #4 makes Eastern Michigan University one of the highest-paying schools for health and physical education. Set in the suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University is a public institution. Students who complete the health and physical education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $49,093.
A rank of #5 makes Wayne State University one of the highest-paying schools for health and physical education. Wayne State University is a public school located in the city of Detroit. After graduating, health and physical education degree recipients from Wayne State University typically earn about $54,370 annually.
Western Michigan University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for health and physical education. Western Michigan University is a public school located in the city of Kalamazoo. After graduating, health and physical education degree recipients from Western Michigan University typically earn about $55,997 annually.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their health and physical education graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.