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2025 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

5 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
253 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,395 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #123 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 5 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation & leisure studies. Combined, these schools handed out 253 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The parks & rec bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation & leisure studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
87 Annual Graduates
$35,429 Median Starting Salary
$47,565 Median Student Debt

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington.

Soon after graduation, parks & rec bachelor's recipients typically make about $35,429 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

2
81 Annual Graduates
$34,742 Median Starting Salary
$47,893 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $34,742 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3

It is hard to beat Ohio University - Athens Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the distant town of Athens.

Bachelor's recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies program at Ohio University - Athens Campus make $2,455 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

4
37 Annual Graduates
$32,709 Median Starting Salary
$33,828 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Bowling Green State University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. BGSU is a large public university located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $32,709.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

5

Located in the town of Marquette, Northern Michigan University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $28,890.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Northern Michigan University

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation & leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 16
Ohio 252 80
Illinois 241 127
Indiana 235 135

View All Rankings >

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

Parks & Rec Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 253

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 7,237
Recreation Administration 194
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 43
Outdoor Education 25

Notes and References

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