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2025 Best Health & Physical Education Schools in North Carolina

33 Colleges in North Carolina
3,017 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$34,558 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #11 in popularity, health & physical education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 33 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Health & Physical Education Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,017 degrees in health & physical education to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Health & Physical Education School

Best Health & Physical Education Schools in North Carolina The phys ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Health & Physical Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for health & physical education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Health & Physical Education Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Phys Ed
Master's Degrees in Phys Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Phys Ed

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Health & Physical Education Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Health & Physical Education in North Carolina

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the phys ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Phys Ed

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
371 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$32,424 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in health & physical education. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 371 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, phys ed degree recipients generally make about $32,424 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
16.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in health & physical education needs to check out Wake Forest University. Located in the large city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were about 83 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year. After graduation, phys ed degree recipients generally earn about $21,192 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Wake Forest University

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Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Business Administration - Sport Management Program Name

Turn your passion for sports into a career with a wide range of employment options with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Business Administration - Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
30.6% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Elon University if you want to pursue a degree in health & physical education. Elon is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 108 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the phys ed program report average early career income of $21,440.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Elon University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
18.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in health & physical education needs to look into North Carolina State University. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 139 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, phys ed degree recipients generally earn an average of $33,717 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from North Carolina State University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
16.4% Growth in Graduates

Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 298 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, phys ed degree recipients usually earn around $26,116 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Appalachian State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$33,029 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 130 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the phys ed program report average early career income of $33,029.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from East Carolina University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
207 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$29,482 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were roughly 207 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, phys ed degree recipients usually make around $29,482 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Sport Management Program Name

Turn your passion for sports into a career and a path to high-level roles in the industry with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Campbell crest
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Buies Creek, Campbell is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 49th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 98 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Campbell in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the phys ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,167.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Campbell University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 Phys Ed Degrees Awarded
$25,623 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 48th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 103 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Pembroke in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the phys ed program state that they receive average early career income of $25,623.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from University of North Carolina at Pembroke

10
Meredith crest
Meredith College
Raleigh, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28th Most Popular In NC

Located in the large city of Raleigh, Meredith is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1265 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Meredith is a great college overall.

There were approximately 12 health & physical education students who graduated with this degree at Meredith in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in health & physical education from Meredith College

Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Health & Physical Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 1,801
Florida 282 1,944
Virginia 274 1,581
Tennessee 269 2,402
South Carolina 248 1,140
Kentucky 244 952
Louisiana 242 678
Mississippi 234 1,043
Arkansas 234 854
Alabama 233 858
West Virginia 207 1,158

View All Rankings >

Health & Physical Education is one of 4 different types of Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies programs to choose from.

Phys Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 1,347
Sports Management 815
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 622
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 133
Physical Fitness Technician 55
Sports Studies 45

View All Phys Ed Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Recreation Administration 369
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 97
Outdoor Education 65

View All Phys Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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