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2025 Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

36 Colleges in California
5,413 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,409 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #9 in popularity, health & physical education is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 36 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,413 bachelor's degrees in health & physical education during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Health & Physical Education School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California The phys ed bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for health & physical education students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Phys Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The phys ed school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Health & Physical Education in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in health & physical education.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Phys Ed

1
406 Annual Graduates
$26,327 Median Starting Salary
$26,687 Median Student Debt

San Diego State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program report average early career income of $26,327.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from San Diego State University

2
186 Annual Graduates
$26,176 Median Starting Salary
$28,455 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in health & physical education has to look into San Francisco State University. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, phys ed bachelor's recipients typically earn about $26,176 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from San Francisco State University

3

It's difficult to beat Saint Mary's College of California if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Those health & physical education students who get their bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College of California receive $6,035 more than the average phys ed grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Saint Mary’s College of California

4

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in health & physical education has to check out California State University - Long Beach. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,148.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State University - Long Beach

5
301 Annual Graduates
$31,901 Median Starting Salary
$17,794 Median Student Debt

Sac State is a very large public university located in the large city of Sacramento.

Bachelor's recipients from the health & physical education major at California State University - Sacramento get $3,492 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State University - Sacramento

6
541 Annual Graduates
$23,543 Median Starting Salary
$20,202 Median Student Debt

Cal State Fullerton is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fullerton.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the phys ed program make around $23,543 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State University - Fullerton

7

Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program earn about $28,364 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

8

Chico State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Chico.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program make an average of $28,236 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State University - Chico

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program report average early career wages of $26,496.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from University of San Francisco

10
442 Annual Graduates
$27,952 Median Starting Salary
$10,000 Median Student Debt

CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the phys ed program make an average of $27,952 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from California State University - Northridge

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 428
Oregon 185 499
Nevada 129 253
Hawaii 112 159
Alaska 75 19

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Health & Physical Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Phys Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 4,358
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 931
Sports Management 104
Sports Studies 17
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 3

Majors Similar to Phys Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 533

Notes and References

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