2025 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California
9Colleges in California
587Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,246Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, parks, recreation & leisure studies sits in the middle of the road, ranking #166 out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation & leisure studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 587 degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School
The parks & rec program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings by Degree Level
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 Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the parks & rec degree levels they offer.
It's difficult to beat California State University - Long Beach if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were approximately 83 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $35,532.
California State University - Chico is a great option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 64th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 103 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $33,920.
Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies has to look into California State University - Sacramento. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 40th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 75 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from California State University - Sacramento receive $6,092 more than the typical parks & rec student.
It is difficult to beat San Francisco State University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. SFSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were about 28 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $28,427 for their early career.
Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were about 95 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies major at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo get $4,911 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 19 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $33,692 in their early career salary.
Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 62nd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 41 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State East Bay in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies degree program at California State University - East Bay earn $9,454 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Fresno State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Fresno. This university ranks 81st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 44 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $32,697 in the first couple years of their career.
Humboldt State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Arcata. This university ranks 125th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 20 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent year we have data available.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
The parks & rec program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
