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Sports medicine specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sports medicine specialist. Sports medicine specialists usually study kinesiology, medicine, or business. 57% of sports medicine specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,246 real sports medicine specialist resumes to see exactly what sports medicine specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for sports medicine specialists are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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

There are certain sports medicine specialist certifications that you should consider. These sports medicine specialist certifications include Medical Assistant and Internal Medicine.

What education do you need to become a sports medicine specialist?

What degree do you need to be a sports medicine specialist?

The most common degree for sports medicine specialists is bachelor's degree, with 57% of sports medicine specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 57%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Doctorate, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a sports medicine specialist?

You should major in kinesiology to become a sports medicine specialist. 20% of sports medicine specialists major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a sports medicine specialist include medicine and business.

Most common colleges for sports medicine specialists

Sports medicine specialists often get their degrees at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, New York University, and North Carolina State University. Here are the most common colleges for sports medicine specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Sports medicine specialist common collegePercentages
University of North Carolina at Greensboro11.58%
New York University9.47%
North Carolina State University8.42%
Temple University5.26%
Hofstra University5.26%

Best majors for sports medicine specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Kinesiology19.7%
2Medicine14.4%
3Business9.7%
4Health Education7.5%
5Psychology5.5%

Best colleges for sports medicine specialists

The best colleges for sports medicine specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A sports medicine 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 sports medicine 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 sports medicine specialists.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for sports medicine specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for sports medicine specialists

The most affordable schools for sports medicine specialists are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for sports medicine 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 sports medicine specialists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sports medicine specialists

The hardest universities for sports medicine specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for sports medicine 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 sports medicine 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sports medicine specialists

The easiest schools for sports medicine specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sports medicine 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 sports medicine specialists.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

8. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average sports medicine specialist salary by education level

Sports medicine specialist education levelSports medicine specialist salary
Doctorate Degree$80,800

Sports medicine specialist 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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