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2024 Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Southwest Region

65 Colleges in the Southwest Region
9,710 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$32,357 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. Combined, these schools handed out 9,710 degrees in health & physical education to qualified students.

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
1.9% Growth in Graduates

Rice University is a wonderful decision 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 moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were roughly 104 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the health & physical education program at Rice University make $5,875 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
313 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
16.0% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is a great decision for students pursuing 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 roughly 313 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 $3,641 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
566 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M University - College Station is a great option for students pursuing a degree in health & physical education. Texas A&M College Station is a very 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 roughly 566 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 $7,154 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
373 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$31,781 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in health & physical education has to take a look at Arizona State University - Tempe. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very 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 373 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, phys ed degree recipients usually earn an average of $31,781 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 105 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the health & physical education program at Southern Methodist University make $14,539 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
490 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
6.5% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 490 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the phys ed program report average early career earnings of $34,314.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized 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 roughly 147 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the health & physical education major at Baylor University earn $5,577 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$45,409 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 43 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at SNU in the most recent data year. Health & Physical Education degree recipients from Southern Nazarene University earn a boost of about $13,052 above the typical income of health & physical education majors.

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

9
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
536 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
5.0% Growth in Graduates

Texas State is a very 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 roughly 536 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, phys ed degree recipients usually make an average of $33,478 in the first five years of their career.

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 approximately 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.

Rank College Location
11 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
12 University of North Texas Denton, TX
13 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
14 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
15 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
16 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 7,194
Arizona 287 929
Oklahoma 257 1,053
New Mexico 219 141

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

Major Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 6,381
Sports Management 1,774
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 1,107
Physical Fitness Technician 234
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 194
Sports Studies 20

View All Phys Ed Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 247
Recreation Administration 214
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 34
Outdoor Education 23

View All Phys Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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