Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Ouachita Baptist University

Ouachita Baptist graduates with this degree carry less than $20,000 in debt—about $5,000 below the Arkansas median and roughly $6,000 below what you'd see nationally for physical education programs. That's a significant advantage, though you should know this data represents a small graduating class (under 30 students), which means individual circumstances can skew the numbers.

The earnings trajectory looks solid. Starting at $31,385, graduates reach $40,765 by year four—a 30% jump that outpaces most teaching-track degrees. Among Arkansas programs, this ranks at the 60th percentile, meaning it performs better than typical in-state alternatives like Harding or Arkansas-Monticello. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 means students owe about 7.5 months of their first-year salary, which is manageable for someone entering education or fitness industries.

For a parent evaluating this program, the lower debt load matters more than the modest starting salary. Your child would graduate owing roughly what they'd earn in a summer and one semester of work, not the near-year of earnings that other physical education programs typically require. Just remember the small sample size means these outcomes might shift year to year.