2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Washington
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.
College Factual looked at 5 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Washington ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 398 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 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
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:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies related body.
Our full 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in Washington 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 Washington
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
Top Washington Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
61
Annual Graduates
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Washington State University. Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Washington State University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
96
Annual Graduates
It's hard to beat Central Washington University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Central Washington University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
83
Annual Graduates
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Western Washington University. WWU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bellingham.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Western Washington University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
41
Annual Graduates
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Pacific Lutheran University. Located in the large suburb of Tacoma, PLU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Pacific Lutheran University
Located in the midsize city of Tacoma, Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Puget Sound