ROI Major

Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Coastal Carolina University

SC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 31.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree from Coastal Carolina University earn a median salary of $49,797 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,308. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.9 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$36,327

Typical Career

$49,797

Top Performers

$68,363

Estimated break-even: 11.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$332

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,150. Most students can comfortably afford about a $332 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 19.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 10.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$52,308

Nominal: $49,797 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

11.9 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $22,499 $29,428 $38,683
5 Years After Graduation $36,327 $49,797 $68,363
10 Years After Graduation $48,046 $64,930 $95,061

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $49,797 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $49,797 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $52,308 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Health and Physical Education/Fitness program at Coastal Carolina University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $29,428, which increases significantly to $49,797 five years post-graduation and reaches $64,930 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $52,307.77, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages despite the lower cost of living in South Carolina.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (19.8%), Health Care & Social Assistance (11.2%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (10.4%). This distribution suggests a diverse range of career opportunities within the field. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 11.9 years, indicating that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term return on investment appears favorable for those pursuing careers in health and physical education.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.