Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Lincoln Memorial University

Lincoln Memorial's Health and Physical Education program operates in a tough space—where even strong outcomes mean modest starting salaries—but the numbers here suggest particular challenges. Graduates earn $26,830 in their first year, roughly $1,200 below the Tennessee median and $3,700 below the national benchmark. Among Tennessee's 31 programs, this lands at the 40th percentile, trailing schools like Tennessee Tech and MTSU by $6,000 or more annually.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $19,187, graduates carry about $5,000 less than typical Tennessee programs and $6,500 below the national median. This keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio manageable at 0.72, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off loans within a year of full-time earnings. The 23% earnings bump to $32,919 by year four also shows improvement, though that still lags behind what competing Tennessee programs deliver in year one.

Important caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances heavily influence these figures. For a family committed to teaching PE or coaching—careers where passion often matters more than peak earnings—the lower debt load makes this workable. But parents should recognize their child would likely start behind peers from other Tennessee public universities, and catching up takes several years. If maximizing early career earnings matters, Tennessee Tech or MTSU deliver better returns at comparable cost.