Fitness management director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fitness management director. Fitness management directors usually study kinesiology, health education, or graphic design. 64% of fitness management directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 45 real fitness management director resumes to see exactly what fitness management director education sections show.

The most common colleges for fitness management directors are the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma.

There are also many online fitness management director courses to help get the education required to be a fitness management director.

What education do you need to become a fitness management director?

What degree do you need to be a fitness management director?

The most common degree for fitness management directors is bachelor's degree, with 64% of fitness management directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Master's, 8%

Diploma, 8%

High School Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a fitness management director?

You should major in kinesiology to become a fitness management director. 25% of fitness management directors major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a fitness management director include health education and graphic design.

Kinesiology, 25%

Health Education, 11%

Graphic Design, 4%

Somatic Bodywork, 4%

Other Majors, 56%

Most common colleges for fitness management directors

Fitness management directors often get their degrees at University of Central Oklahoma, University of Northern Colorado, and University of Florida. Here are the most common colleges for fitness management directors in the US based on their resumes.

Fitness management director common college	Percentages
University of Central Oklahoma	9.52%
University of Northern Colorado	4.76%
University of Florida	4.76%
Indiana State University	4.76%
Moore College of Art and Design	4.76%

Show more common fitness management director colleges

Best majors for fitness management directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Kinesiology	25.0%
2	Health Education	10.7%
3	Graphic Design	3.6%
4	Somatic Bodywork	3.6%
5	International Business	3.6%

Show more common fitness management director majors

Best colleges for fitness management directors

The best colleges for fitness management directors are Northwestern University, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, and Clemson University.

A fitness management director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for fitness management directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become fitness management directors.

1. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

5. SUNY College at Cortland

Cortland, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,536

Enrollment

6,325

6. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Enrollment

11,559

7. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for fitness management directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for fitness management directors

The most affordable schools for fitness management directors are California State University - Long Beach, lehman college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for fitness management directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for fitness management directors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,310

Cost of attendance

19,807

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fitness management directors

The hardest universities for fitness management directors to get into are Northwestern University, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, and Clemson University.

Some great schools for fitness management directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for fitness management directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

3. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

4. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

6. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

8. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,345

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

1,336

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fitness management directors

The easiest schools for fitness management directors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fitness management director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for fitness management directors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

10. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

Average fitness management director salary by education level

According to our data, fitness management directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,554 annually. Fitness management directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $46,183.

Fitness management director education level	Fitness management director salary
Master's Degree	$46,183
Doctorate Degree	$54,554

Fitness management director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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