Health fitness specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a health fitness specialist. Health fitness specialists usually study kinesiology, health education, or public health education. 80% of health fitness specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,465 real health fitness specialist resumes to see exactly what health fitness specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for health fitness specialists are the Texas State University and the Texas State University.

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

There are certain health fitness specialist certifications that you should consider. These health fitness specialist certifications include Certified Personal Trainer and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

What education do you need to become a health fitness specialist?

What degree do you need to be a health fitness specialist?

The most common degree for health fitness specialists is bachelor's degree, with 80% of health fitness specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 80%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 4%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a health fitness specialist?

You should major in kinesiology to become a health fitness specialist. 59% of health fitness specialists major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a health fitness specialist include health education and public health education.

Kinesiology, 59%

Health Education, 7%

Public Health Education, 6%

Exercise Physiology, 4%

Other Majors, 24%

Most common colleges for health fitness specialists

Health fitness specialists often get their degrees at Texas State University, East Carolina University, and University of Wisconsin Colleges. Here are the most common colleges for health fitness specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Health fitness specialist common college	Percentages
Texas State University	7.59%
East Carolina University	6.70%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	5.80%
Southern Connecticut State University	5.36%
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	5.36%

Show more common health fitness specialist colleges

Best majors for health fitness specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Kinesiology	58.7%
2	Health Education	6.9%
3	Public Health Education	6.0%
4	Exercise Physiology	4.4%
5	Health And Wellness	4.1%

Show more common health fitness specialist majors

Best colleges for health fitness specialists

The best colleges for health fitness specialists are Northwestern University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Tulsa.

A health fitness specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for health fitness specialists. 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 health fitness specialists.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$46,950

Enrollment

9,407

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Rice University

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$47,350

Enrollment

3,962

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for health fitness specialists

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7. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Health & Wellness

4.7

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8. Internationally Accredited Diploma Certificate in Fitness

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20. Women's Holistic Health Coach Teacher Training Course

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Top 10 most affordable universities for health fitness specialists

The most affordable schools for health fitness specialists are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and university of north carolina at chapel hill.

If the best universities for health fitness specialists 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 health fitness specialists.

1. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

4. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for health fitness specialists

The hardest universities for health fitness specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Tulsa.

Some great schools for health fitness specialists 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 health fitness specialists 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. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

3. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,321

6. Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,287

7. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

8. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for health fitness specialists

The easiest schools for health fitness specialists 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 health fitness specialist 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 health fitness specialists.

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. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average health fitness specialist salary by education level

Health fitness specialists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $38,755 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, health fitness specialists earn a median annual income of $38,101 compared to $36,440 for health fitness specialists with an Associate degree.

Health fitness specialist education level	Health fitness specialist salary
Master's Degree	$38,755
High School Diploma or Less	$35,772
Bachelor's Degree	$38,101
Some College/ Associate Degree	$36,440

Health fitness specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Health Fitness Specialists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

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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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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