Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Georgia Southwestern State University

Georgia Southwestern's Health and Physical Education program outperforms most in-state alternatives, ranking in the 60th percentile among Georgia programs—sitting just below the state's flagship University of Georgia and ahead of the majority of competitors. For a regional university serving a high proportion of Pell Grant recipients (41%), this represents solid placement outcomes.

The debt picture is manageable: $26,000 matches both the state and national median for these programs, while first-year earnings of $32,709 create a reasonable 0.79 debt-to-earnings ratio. Graduates earn about $3,400 more than the typical Georgia graduate in this field, though they still trail the state's top programs by $4,000-5,000 annually. For students planning to teach physical education or work in fitness instruction—fields with compressed salary ranges—these starting numbers align with realistic expectations.

The significant caveat here is sample size: fewer than 30 recent graduates means these figures could shift substantially year to year. That said, for in-state students interested in health and PE who need an affordable path into the field, this program delivers outcomes comparable to what you'd find at larger Georgia institutions, without the competitive admissions or higher costs often associated with them.