Physical Education · Minnesota

Minnesota colleges that awarded Physical Education credentials

20 colleges in Minnesota reported conferring Physical Education credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 13 awarded a degree, and 7 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in Minnesota that conferred Physical Education credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
Minnesota North College19Certificate only
Winona State University19Degree
Southwest Minnesota State University17Degree
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities15Degree
Minnesota State University Moorhead14Degree
Bemidji State University13Degree
Riverland Community College9Certificate only
Martin Luther College7Degree
Central Lakes College-Brainerd6Certificate only
Augsburg University5Degree
Concordia College at Moorhead5Degree
Anoka-Ramsey Community College4Certificate only
Concordia University-Saint Paul3Degree
Ridgewater College3Certificate only
St Cloud Technical and Community College3Certificate only
University of Minnesota-Duluth3Degree
Bethany Lutheran College2Degree
Crown College2Degree
Rochester Community and Technical College2Certificate only
Saint Cloud State University2Degree

How much of this field is in Minnesota

Credentials awarded
153
Share of U.S. total
2.2%
Colleges awarding it
20
Awarding a degree
13

Minnesota colleges conferred 153 Physical Education credentials in 2023-24, which is 2.2% of the 6,808 conferred across the 49 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 20 colleges here, 13 awarded a degree and 7 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates41%63
  • Bachelor's44%67
  • Graduate15%23

Most Physical Education credentials awarded in Minnesota were bachelor's degrees. That is 23 percentage points less weighted toward bachelor's degrees than the field nationally, where they are 67% of credentials. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 12% of Minnesota’s Physical Education credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What these Minnesota colleges cost

Median net price across the 19 of these 20 colleges that report it, by family income. Net price is what students receiving federal aid actually paid for the WHOLE college after grants and scholarships, so it is not the price of a Physical Education program specifically, and not a quote for any family.

0-30k
$10,835
30-48k
$11,000
48-75k
$13,125
75-110k
$17,908
110k+
$21,306

By the kind of college

The figure above averages very different institutions together. Split by federal sector, for a family earning under $30,000:

Median net price for a family earning under $30,000, by kind of college, among Minnesota colleges that reported awarding Physical Educationcredentials.
Kind of collegeCollegesMedian net price
Public two-year7$8,400
Public four-year6$10,345
Private6$18,138

Sector is the federal classification (IPEDS ICLEVEL and CONTROL). Private covers both nonprofit and for-profit colleges, which CampusPin does not split here because the for-profit sample in a single state is usually too small to publish a median. Each row needs at least five colleges reporting net price, so a sector with fewer is left out rather than estimated.

A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $10,835 at these colleges, against $21,306 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every Minnesota college by income band.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in Minnesota — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What Physical Education graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Physical Education, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with Physical Education, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors$46,18074,200High school diploma or equivalent
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,58066,200Bachelor's degree
Coaches and Scouts$45,92041,800Bachelor's degree
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$62,97040,500Bachelor's degree
Education Teachers, Postsecondary$72,0905,600Doctoral or professional degree
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$75,8901,100Doctoral or professional degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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