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Physical education professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a physical education professor. Physical education professors usually study health education, kinesiology, or education. 66% of physical education professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 83 real physical education professor resumes to see exactly what physical education professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for physical education professors are the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Northern Colorado.

There are also many online physical education professor courses to help get the education required to be a physical education professor.

What education do you need to become a physical education professor?

What degree do you need to be a physical education professor?

The most common degree for physical education professors is bachelor's degree, with 66% of physical education professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 20%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a physical education professor?

You should major in health education to become a physical education professor. 40% of physical education professors major in health education. Other common majors for a physical education professor include kinesiology and education.

Most common colleges for physical education professors

Physical education professors often get their degrees at University of Northern Colorado, University of Maryland - College Park, and United States Sports Academy. Here are the most common colleges for physical education professors in the US based on their resumes.
Physical education professor common collegePercentages
University of Northern Colorado8.33%
University of Maryland - College Park8.33%
United States Sports Academy8.33%
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus5.56%
Ithaca College5.56%

Best majors for physical education professors

RankMajorPercentages
1Health Education40.2%
2Kinesiology22.2%
3Education6.8%
4Psychology3.4%
5Business3.4%

Best colleges for physical education professors

The best colleges for physical education professors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A physical education professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for physical education professors. 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 physical education professors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for physical education professors

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13. Diversity and Inclusion in Education

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Top 10 most affordable universities for physical education professors

The most affordable schools for physical education professors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and lehman college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for physical education professors 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 physical education professors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for physical education professors

The hardest universities for physical education professors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for physical education professors 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 physical education professors 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for physical education professors

The easiest schools for physical education professors to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a physical education professor 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 physical education professors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average physical education professor salary by education level

According to our data, physical education professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,548 annually. Physical education professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $46,310.
Physical education professor education levelPhysical education professor salary
Master's Degree$46,310
Doctorate Degree$54,548

Physical education professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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