Health and Physical Education/Fitness at University of Puget Sound

The first-year earnings figure here—$22,260—should immediately raise questions. That's barely above minimum wage in Washington state and ranks this program in just the 5th percentile nationally for health and physical education degrees. While the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, the starting salary lags substantially behind other Washington programs in this field, where the state median is $30,815. Even among the 12 schools offering this program in-state, Puget Sound lands at the 25th percentile.

The 133% earnings jump by year four suggests many graduates eventually find better-paying positions—possibly as teachers who secure full-time contracts with benefits—but the initial financial squeeze is real. With $21,646 in debt, graduates face nearly a full year's starting salary in loans, creating potential hardship during those first lean years. By comparison, Washington State University graduates in this field start at $30,815, offering a 38% higher immediate return.

For a private liberal arts education at Puget Sound, this program delivers outcomes that trail most in-state public alternatives. Unless your child has specific reasons to attend this institution—strong connections to particular athletic programs or coaching opportunities—the combination of weak initial earnings and better-performing state options makes this a difficult program to recommend on financial grounds alone.