Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Franklin College

Franklin College graduates in Health and Physical Education are earning $24,181 one year after graduation—about $10,000 less than Indiana's median for this field and roughly $6,000 below the national average. This places the program in the bottom 10% both statewide and nationally. Compare that to nearby competitors: Valparaiso graduates are earning nearly double, while IU-Bloomington, Anderson, and Indiana Wesleyan all produce graduates earning $12,000-$15,000 more annually. For context, $24,181 represents close to full-time work at minimum wage.

The debt load of $27,000 isn't dramatically high in isolation, but paired with these first-year earnings, it creates a challenging financial picture. Graduates are carrying debt that exceeds their annual income—a situation that typically signals difficulty making loan payments while covering basic living expenses. Most careers in physical education and fitness coaching do see modest salary growth over time, but starting this far behind peer institutions puts Franklin graduates at a meaningful disadvantage.

The small sample size here matters—we're looking at fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes can skew these numbers significantly. Still, even accounting for statistical noise, the gap between Franklin and other Indiana programs is substantial enough to warrant serious consideration. Parents should ask direct questions about job placement rates, whether graduates are finding full-time positions in their field, and what explains the earnings gap compared to similar programs across the state.