Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Brigham Young University

BYU's Health and Physical Education program produces remarkably low debt—graduates leave owing just $9,281, which ranks in the 95th percentile nationally and is nearly half the Utah state median of $16,844. That's the good news, and for LDS students benefiting from church-sponsored tuition, it makes financial sense. The challenging news is that earnings lag significantly: at $25,253 in the first year, graduates earn about $6,000 less than the Utah median and rank in just the 11th percentile nationally for this major.

What makes this particularly concerning is the comparison to other Utah programs. Weber State and University of Utah graduates in this field earn $14,000 to $12,000 more respectively, while BYU's program trails even Utah Valley and Utah Tech. The 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable on paper, but four years post-graduation, earnings have barely budged—reaching only $25,700. This suggests the degree opens doors primarily to entry-level positions in coaching, recreation, or fitness instruction that offer limited advancement.

For families paying subsidized LDS tuition, the minimal debt makes this defensible if your student is passionate about fitness education and accepts modest earnings. For non-LDS families paying full freight, or if your student isn't committed to this specific career path, the earnings disadvantage compared to peer Utah institutions argues strongly for looking elsewhere.