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2024 Best Recreation Administration Schools

66 Colleges in the United States
2,826 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$32,374 Avg Early-Career Salary
Recreation Administration is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #163 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual reviewed 66 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of recreation administration. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,826 degrees in recreation administration during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Recreation Administration School

Best Recreation Administration Schools Your choice of recreation administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Recreation Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Recreation Administration Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Recreation Admin
Bachelor's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Master's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Doctor's Degrees in Recreation Admin

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Recreation Administration Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Recreation Administration in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of recreation admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Schools in Recreation Admin

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$36,645 Median Starting Salary

Clemson University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in recreation administration. Clemson is a very large public university located in the suburb of Clemson. A Best Colleges rank of #107 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were approximately 154 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available. Recreation Administration degree recipients from Clemson University earn a boost of approximately $4,271 over the average earnings of recreation administration graduates.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Clemson University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
21.6% Growth in Graduates

University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in recreation administration. UNH is a large public university located in the small suburb of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #233 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNH is a great university overall.

There were about 97 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the recreation admin program make about $33,992 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
39.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Florida is a good option for students pursuing a degree in recreation administration. UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 98 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program state that they receive average early career wages of $33,795.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of Florida

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
30.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat North Carolina State University if you wish to pursue a degree in recreation administration. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 113 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from North Carolina State University receive $5,484 more than the typical recreation admin grad.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from North Carolina State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$26,378 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #176 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, recreation admin degree recipients generally make around $26,378 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

6
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR

UARK is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Fayetteville. A Best Colleges rank of #198 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UARK is a great university overall.

There were approximately 24 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UARK in the most recent data year. Recreation Administration degree recipients from University of Arkansas earn a boost of around $14,875 above the typical earnings of recreation administration majors.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of Arkansas

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$27,454 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 84 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,454.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
183 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$32,195 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #183 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.

There were about 183 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,195.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Florida International University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SD
22.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means South Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were about 27 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from South Dakota State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$36,914 Median Starting Salary
$25,500 Median Student Debt

Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Mankato. This university ranks 13th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 29 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent year we have data available. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato receive $4,540 more than the standard recreation admin graduate.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Minnesota State University - Mankato

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Recreation Administration students that almost earned our Best Recreation Administration Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
11Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA
12Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY
13University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa Crosse, WI
14Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
15University of North TexasDenton, TX
16University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO

Recreation Administration by Region

View the Best Recreation Administration Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Recreation Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Recreation Admin Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management2,673
Golf Course Operation & Grounds Management146
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management7

View All Recreation Admin Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education66,552
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies2,818
Outdoor Education313
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies232

View All Recreation Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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