2025 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in
parks, recreation & leisure studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #123 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 492 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree
Your choice of parks, recreation & leisure studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to parks, recreation & leisure studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of parks, recreation & leisure studies students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for parks, recreation & leisure studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation & leisure studies related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for parks, recreation & leisure studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Far Western US Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation & leisure studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
10 Top Far Western US Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
California State University - Long Beach is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies major at California State University - Long Beach earn $2,510 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Long Beach
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies has to take a look at California State University - Chico. Chico State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Chico.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career income of $33,920.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Chico
California State University - Sacramento is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Sac State is a very large public university located in the city of Sacramento.
Bachelor's recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies program at California State University - Sacramento get $7,316 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Sacramento
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies needs to look into San Francisco State University. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.
Soon after graduating, parks & rec bachelor's recipients typically earn about $28,427 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from San Francisco State University
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Bachelor's recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies degree program at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo make $6,135 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $27,558.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Western Washington University
Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduation, parks & rec bachelor's recipients generally make around $33,692 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from San Diego State University
Located in the small city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduating, parks & rec bachelor's recipients typically make about $34,451 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Oregon State University
Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Hayward.
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies bachelor's degree recipients from California State University - East Bay get an earnings boost of approximately $10,678 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - East Bay
Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $32,697 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Fresno
