by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 93 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,752 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The parks & rec bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. 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 bachelor'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 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 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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
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.
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Explore 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 a great option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M 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 Michigan - Ann Arbor
Indiana University - Bloomington is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Miami University - Oxford is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the city of Waukesha, Carroll U 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 Carroll University
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Michigan State University
Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ball State University
Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Central Michigan University
Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus
Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Dayton
UW - La Crosse is a large public university located in the city of La Crosse.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Chicago
GVSU is a fairly large public university located in the town of Allendale.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Grand Valley State University
Located in the city of Chicago, UIC 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 Chicago
WMU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Kalamazoo.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Western Michigan University
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Illinois State University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | North Central College | Naperville, IL |
| 20 | Kent State University at Kent | Kent, OH |
| 21 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 22 | Baldwin Wallace University | Berea, OH |
| 23 | University of Mount Union | Alliance, OH |
| 24 | University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 25 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 26 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 27 | Bowling Green State University - Main Campus | Bowling Green, OH |
| 28 | Adrian College | Adrian, MI |
| 29 | Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, MI |
| 30 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, IL |
| 31 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL |
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 7,237 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 253 |
| Recreation Administration | 194 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 43 |
| Outdoor Education | 25 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 5,499 |