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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

501 Colleges in the United States
55,115 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,979 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #13 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 501 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 55,115 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools 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 Great Overall School

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.

Early-Career Earnings

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.

Other Factors We Consider

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 colleges for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the United States

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 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
104 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Rice University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rice University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
274 Annual Graduates

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 very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Clemson University. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
291 Annual Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large 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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
474 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison 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 Wisconsin - Madison

7
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
91 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Emory University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Annual Graduates

Miami University - Oxford is a 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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
576 Annual Graduates

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
608 Annual Graduates

Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Iowa

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Annual Graduates

Ohio State is a very 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

12
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
292 Annual Graduates

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

13
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Gainesville, UF 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 Florida

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst 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 Massachusetts Amherst

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
351 Annual Graduates

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tempe.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arizona State University - Tempe

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Annual Graduates

UofSC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of South Carolina - Columbia

18
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Annual Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Durham, UNH 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 New Hampshire - Main Campus

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
473 Annual Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from American Public University System

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Methodist University

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
386 Annual Graduates

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

22
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
362 Annual Graduates

U of U is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Utah

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Athens, UGA 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 Georgia

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Storrs, UCONN 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 Connecticut

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
233 Annual Graduates

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Maryland - College Park

Rest of the Top 50 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

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Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
30
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
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Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
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KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
50
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, MD

Remaining Award Winners

This list shows the remainder 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 15% of the 501 different United States parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
52 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
53 Shenandoah University Winchester, VA
54 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
55 Ball State University Muncie, IN
56 Loras College Dubuque, IA
57 Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA
58 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
59 Seattle University Seattle, WA
60 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
61 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
62 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
63 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
64 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
65 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
66 Concordia University, Chicago River Forest, IL
67 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
68 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
69 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
70 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
71 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
72 University of Mississippi University, MS
73 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
74 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
75 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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.

Rank College Location
76 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
77 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
78 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
79 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
80 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
81 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
82 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
83 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
84 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
85 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
86 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
87 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
88 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
89 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
90 Springfield College Springfield, MA
91 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
92 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
93 University of North Texas Denton, TX
94 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
95 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
96 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
97 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
98 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
99 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
100 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region

View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 49,843
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 2,584
Recreation Administration 2,416
Outdoor Education 169
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 103

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 36,233

Notes and References

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