2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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
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.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies related body.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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