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2025 Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

67 Colleges in the Plains States Region
4,333 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,332 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.

College Factual reviewed 67 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of health & physical education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,333 bachelor's degrees in health & physical education during the 2022-2023 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 the Plains States Region 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 account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host 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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 the Plains States Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

13 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Phys Ed

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
543 Annual Graduates
$31,998 Median Starting Salary
$26,495 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Iowa if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the phys ed program make around $31,998 for their early career.

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

2
86 Annual Graduates
$36,050 Median Starting Salary
$37,270 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in health & physical education needs to check out University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.

Those health & physical education students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities receive $2,718 more than the standard phys ed student.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
117 Annual Graduates
$45,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Saint Louis University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Saint Louis University

4
250 Annual Graduates
$36,492 Median Starting Salary
$23,249 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Iowa State University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in health & physical education. Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames.

Health & Physical Education bachelor's degree recipients from Iowa State University receive an earnings boost of about $3,160 over the average income of health & physical education graduates.

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

5

Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program earn around $32,860 in the first couple years of working.

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

6
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
201 Annual Graduates
$33,891 Median Starting Salary
$35,727 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program earn an average of $33,891 in their early career salary.

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

7
90 Annual Graduates
$26,608 Median Starting Salary
$39,925 Median Student Debt

St. Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Davenport.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the phys ed program earn around $26,608 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Saint Ambrose University

8
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO
101 Annual Graduates
$35,314 Median Starting Salary
$25,117 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, phys ed bachelor's recipients generally make around $35,314 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Lindenwood University

9
64 Annual Graduates
$32,709 Median Starting Salary
$20,300 Median Student Debt

UNI is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls.

After graduation, phys ed bachelor's recipients typically make around $32,709 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from University of Northern Iowa

10
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA
46 Annual Graduates
$36,495 Median Starting Salary
$16,902 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the health & physical education degree program at Grand View University make $3,163 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Grand View University

11

Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Those health & physical education students who get their bachelor's degree from Winona State University make $8,410 more than the typical phys ed graduate.

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

12
Truman State crest
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO

Truman State is a small public university located in the remote town of Kirksville.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the phys ed program report average early career earnings of $26,865.

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

13
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
28 Annual Graduates

Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.More information about a bachelor’s in health & physical education from Augustana University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Loras College Dubuque, IA
15 University of Mary Bismarck, ND
16 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
17 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
18 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
19 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
20 Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO
21 University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA
22 St Olaf College Northfield, MN

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges by State

Explore the best health & physical education schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 882
Minnesota 215 815
Iowa 197 1,241
Kansas 184 589
Nebraska 180 297
North Dakota 149 220
South Dakota 148 259

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
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 2,530
Sports Management 1,135
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 403
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 171
Sports Studies 62
Physical Fitness Technician 32

Majors Similar to Phys Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 324
Recreation Administration 126
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 17
Outdoor Education 10

Notes and References

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