by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 30 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,605 master's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your master'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree 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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their master's degree.
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, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ohio University - Athens Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus
University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Chicago
Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington
Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford
Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ball State University
Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Aurora University
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 1,485 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 81 |
| Recreation Administration | 24 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 7,231 |