by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 397 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
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.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
It is difficult to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Liberty University
James Madison University 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 city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University
University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Virginia - Main Campus
It's hard to beat George Mason University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from George Mason University
Old Dominion is a very large public university located in the city of Norfolk.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Old Dominion University
Hampton is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Hampton.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Hampton University
Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 34 | 147 |
| Florida | 34 | 439 |
| Georgia | 32 | 293 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 269 |
| North Carolina | 31 | 246 |
| Kentucky | 31 | 226 |
| West Virginia | 30 | 220 |
| Alabama | 30 | 180 |
| Louisiana | 30 | 152 |
| South Carolina | 30 | 209 |
| Arkansas | 30 | 291 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 391 |
| Recreation Administration | 6 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 1,117 |