Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Alvernia University

Alvernia's Health and Physical Education program ranks among the state's best, with graduates earning $41,508 in their first year—nearly $10,000 more than Pennsylvania's median for this field and topping even highly regarded programs like Lebanon Valley College. Among the 52 schools offering this program in Pennsylvania, Alvernia sits at the 80th percentile, while nationally it reaches the 95th percentile. The debt burden of $27,000 is perfectly in line with both state and national norms, yielding a manageable 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio that's well below concerning thresholds.

That said, these numbers come from a small graduating cohort—fewer than 30 students—which means a single year's data could swing significantly based on just a few individual outcomes. The program could be genuinely excellent at placing graduates in higher-paying roles (perhaps in corporate wellness or healthcare settings rather than traditional teaching), or these results might reflect a particularly successful group of graduates.

For parents, this looks like a strong bet if your child is seriously committed to this field. The earnings advantage over typical PE/fitness programs is substantial enough that even accounting for the small sample uncertainty, Alvernia appears to deliver better-than-average outcomes. Just recognize that future cohorts might not replicate these exact numbers.