by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 502 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 52,252 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
It's hard to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station
It is hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Iowa
The University of Texas at Austin is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin
IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Clemson is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Temple University
ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arizona State University - Tempe
Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the small city of New Brunswick.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Georgia
Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Syracuse University
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
JMU is a very large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University
UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland
UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Carroll U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Waukesha.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Carroll University
Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Michigan State University
UD is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Newark.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Delaware
Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Florida
Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 502 different United States parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools we analyzed.
Here are some additional great schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students that almost earned our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 48,205 |
| Recreation Administration | 1,876 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 1,872 |
| Outdoor Education | 151 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 148 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 32,817 |