Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Simmons University

The small sample size here demands caution, but the numbers for Simmons' Health and Physical Education program are striking enough to warrant attention. First-year earnings of $48,876 place graduates in the 95th percentile nationally and 80th percentile within Massachusetts—significantly outpacing not just the national median of $30,554, but also every other Bay State program in this field. That's a $11,000+ advantage over UMass-Boston, the next-highest earner. Four years out, median earnings climb to $67,028, representing robust 37% growth that suggests strong career progression rather than a quick plateau.

The debt picture reinforces the value proposition: $27,000 is exactly at the state median and puts graduates in the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of comparable programs saddle students with more debt). With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55, graduates owe roughly half their first-year salary—manageable territory that gets easier as earnings climb.

Here's the catch: with fewer than 30 graduates in this cohort, these figures could shift dramatically year to year. A few high earners could be inflating the median, or this could represent a genuinely exceptional cohort. If you're betting on this program, you're betting that Simmons' Boston location, career networks, and program structure consistently produce these outcomes. The data suggests it's working, but verify recent graduate outcomes directly with the school before committing.