Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to kinesiology programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Kinesiology · CIP 31.05 series · 5 codes · 7 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 31.0501 Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps kinesiology programs to 7 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Athletes and Sports Competitors, Coaches and Scouts and Personal Trainer. BLS median pay across them runs from $47,160 (Personal Trainer) to $79,520 (Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs kinesiology programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Trainer | $47,160 | 322,930 | Post-Secondary Certificate | 3 |
| Coaches and Scouts | $47,320 | 248,950 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling | $79,520 | 37,980 | n/a | 4 |
| Athletic Trainer | $62,520 | 30,500 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $66,710 | 15,070 | Less than a High School Diploma | 1-2 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $77,270 | 12,630 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Exercise Physiologist | $59,460 | 8,560 | n/a | 4 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Athletes and Sports Competitors, one of the kinesiology jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance.
Maintain equipment used in a particular sport.
Speaking · Active Listening · Critical Thinking
Mapped from CIP 31.0501Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions.
Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours.
Instructing · Speaking · Learning Strategies
Mapped from CIP 31.0501, 31.0504Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness.
Instructing · Service Orientation · Speaking
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 31.0501, 31.0504Write budgets to plan recreational activities or programs.
Talk to coworkers using electronic devices, such as computers and radios.
Social Perceptiveness · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 31.0504Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.
Instructing · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 31.0505Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
Active Listening · Judgment and Decision Making · Speaking
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 31.0507Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
Data A national median for federal-aid graduates of this field: a separate measure from the BLS job pay above.
See earnings by degree level, college spread and federal debt.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with a kinesiology degree”, “what can you do with an exercise science degree”, “exercise science degree jobs” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
