Careers
8 occupations, separated by the question that actually matters when you are choosing a degree: whether this one gets you the job, or gets you into the program that does.
4 of the 8. Ordered by median wage.
$61,960
Clinical work you can enter with a bachelor's, and 92% of O*NET respondents agree on that. A recreational therapist uses activity as the treatment, for a median of $61,960.
$59,460
The occupation every program on this site reports under. You build exercise programs for patients with a diagnosis, usually on a physician referral, and usually in cardiac or pulmonary rehab.
$47,320
The widest pay range of any career here: a coach at the 10th percentile earns $28,790 and at the 90th earns $98,860. The median of $47,320 describes almost nobody.
The biggest occupation in this field at 322,930 jobs, and the one that needs a degree least. A fitness trainer earns a median of $47,160, and you can be working within weeks.
Kinesiology is preparation for admission to these, not a qualification for the work. Each page states the credential the job actually requires.
$102,760
The best-paying job a kinesiology degree points toward, at a median of $102,760. It also needs a doctorate, so your bachelor's is the first of two degrees, not the qualification.
$100,330
An occupational therapist helps people do the ordinary things again: dressing, cooking, working. It pays a median of $100,330 and needs a master's, and 86% of O*NET respondents said so.
$68,380
The best pay-to-schooling ratio in this field: a median of $68,380 on a two-year degree. But it has to be a CAPTE-accredited PTA program, and a kinesiology associate degree is not one.
$62,520
An athletic trainer is the first clinician on scene when someone gets hurt. It pays a median of $62,520, and since fall 2022 you can no longer enter the field with a bachelor's degree.
