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Home›Majors›Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 165 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$60,645 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$60,645Median year-4 earnings
$18,943Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$60,645Typical earnings four years after completion
$59,485Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
17thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
20Degrees awarded in 2024–25
165College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 6 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness

How much do Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $60,645 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $55,315 to $65,493 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$36,241
Federal debt
$8,936
Programs in the comparison
15
13 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$40,142
Federal debt
$12,000
Programs in the comparison
38
36 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$53,190
Federal debt
$25,946
Programs in the comparison
660
623 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,645
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
165
165 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$82,260
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$56,405
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$55,315National median$60,64575th percentile$65,493
165 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$65,49375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Columbia University in the City of New York

$107,139 four years after completionNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Concordia University-Irvine

237 reported awards in 2024–25Irvine, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$82,178Observed year-4 earnings$68,986
$6,541Annual college-wide average net price$40,815
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Columbia University in the City of New York$107,1392CUNY Brooklyn College$88,8283Northwestern University$82,1784Georgetown University$81,0355Drexel University$79,4076Adelphi University$79,1997University of San Francisco$78,5218Rutgers University-New Brunswick$77,3239Western Carolina University$77,04610University of Central Florida$76,984

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$77,270 median wage12,630 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,900–$134,890 typical wage rangeExercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors$47,160 median wage322,930 jobs nationwide+7.3% projected growth through 2035 · 68,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$28,800–$83,100 typical wage rangeCoaches and Scouts$47,320 median wage248,950 jobs nationwide+6.1% projected growth through 2035 · 36,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$28,790–$98,860 typical wage rangeEntertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling$79,520 median wage37,980 jobs nationwide+6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 5,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$46,270–$139,110 typical wage rangeAthletes and Sports Competitors$66,710 median wage15,070 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$26,500–$742,310 typical wage rangeAthletic Trainers$62,520 median wage30,500 jobs nationwide+12.7% projected growth through 2035 · 2,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$48,180–$88,760 typical wage rangeExercise Physiologists$59,460 median wage8,560 jobs nationwide+12.8% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$42,760–$80,560 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Master's Degree

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management

Year-4 earnings
$58,455
Federal debt
Not available
8 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies

Year-4 earnings
$58,002
Federal debt
Not available
4 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

TX18 programs$60,289 average earningsOH9 programs$58,973 average earningsFL9 programs$64,838 average earningsCA9 programs$67,048 average earningsIL8 programs$62,766 average earningsTN7 programs$60,428 average earningsPA7 programs$60,745 average earningsNY7 programs$77,043 average earningsVA6 programs$59,916 average earningsMI6 programs$58,027 average earningsMA6 programs$64,682 average earningsSC5 programs$61,882 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.