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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

16 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
1,198 Master's Degrees
$49,416 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies isn't the most popular master's program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #16 in popularity out of 37 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,198 master's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 account for this 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.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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.

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Parks & Rec

1
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Annual Graduates

Temple University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Temple is a fairly large public university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Temple University

2
Canisius crest
Canisius College
Buffalo, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Canisius College if you wish to pursue a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Canisius is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Buffalo.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Canisius College

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to check out Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Located in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

4
SUNY Cortland crest
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

SUNY Cortland is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Cortland, SUNY Cortland is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland

5
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Drexel University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Purchase, Manhattanville is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Manhattanville College

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Wayne, William Paterson University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William Paterson University of New Jersey

9
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Adelphi is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Garden City.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adelphi University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the fringe town of East Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 35 322
Pennsylvania 34 584
New Jersey 32 78
Maryland 32 30
District of Columbia 32 210
Delaware 24 23

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,125
Recreation Administration 53
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 15
Outdoor Education 5

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 11,745

Notes and References

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