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2025 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region

5 Colleges in the Southwest Region
259 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,246 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #166 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual reviewed 5 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation & leisure studies. Combined, these schools handed out 259 degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for parks, recreation & leisure studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Doctor's Degrees in Parks & Rec

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southwest Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the parks & rec degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Southwest Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,149 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is a great option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were approximately 15 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies program at Arizona State University - Tempe make $8,903 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Arizona State University - Tempe

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

Northern Arizona University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the small city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $31,672 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Northern Arizona University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. OSU is a fairly large public university located in the town of Stillwater. This university ranks 2nd out of 31 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 43 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus earn $3,147 more than the typical parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
35.9% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Arizona State University - Skysong if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 39 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies degree recipients from Arizona State University - Skysong get an earnings boost of about $8,903 above the average income of parks, recreation & leisure studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Arizona State University - Skysong

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OK

UCO is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Edmond. This university ranks 8th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 6 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at UCO in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of Central Oklahoma

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 12
Arizona 287 98
Oklahoma 257 53
New Mexico 219 0

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 259

View All Parks & Rec Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 9,549
Recreation Administration 179
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 43
Outdoor Education 34

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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