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2024 Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

19 Colleges in Illinois
1,263 Bachelor's Degrees
$29,454 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #9 in popularity, health & physical education is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for health & physical education students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,263 bachelor's degrees in health & physical education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of health & physical education for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality phys ed program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

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

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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 bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Health & Physical Education Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Health & Physical Education in Illinois

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in health & physical education.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Phys Ed

1
160 Annual Graduates
$24,883 Median Starting Salary
$21,425 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program make an average of $24,883 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
92 Annual Graduates
$33,679 Median Starting Salary
$26,166 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Concordia University, Chicago if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of River Forest.

Health & Physical Education bachelor's degree recipients from Concordia University, Chicago earn a boost of around $4,225 over the typical earnings of health & physical education graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Concordia University, Chicago

3
146 Annual Graduates
$29,899 Median Starting Salary
$16,750 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $29,899.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
49 Annual Graduates
$30,299 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

North Central College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program state that they receive average early career income of $30,299.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from North Central College

5
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
25 Annual Graduates
$27,486 Median Starting Salary
$23,375 Median Student Debt

Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Elmhurst.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the phys ed program earn around $27,486 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Elmhurst University

6
80 Annual Graduates
$30,845 Median Starting Salary
$22,750 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population.

After graduation, phys ed bachelor's recipients typically earn about $30,845 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

7
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
65 Annual Graduates
$27,066 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduation, phys ed bachelor's recipients usually earn about $27,066 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Aurora University

8
71 Annual Graduates
$31,525 Median Starting Salary
$27,418 Median Student Debt

NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

Bachelor's recipients from the health & physical education major at Northern Illinois University get $2,071 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Northern Illinois University

9
69 Annual Graduates
$30,695 Median Starting Salary
$21,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, phys ed bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $30,695 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Illinois State University

10
67 Annual Graduates
$31,035 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

EIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Charleston.

After graduation, phys ed bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $31,035 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Eastern Illinois University

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 1,946
Ohio 252 1,932
Indiana 235 1,387
Wisconsin 213 836

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

Phys Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 910
Sports Management 248
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 79
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 26

Majors Similar to Phys Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Recreation Administration 167
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 127
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3

Notes and References

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