by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 18 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,537 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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.
The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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 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
Concordia University, Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of River Forest.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Chicago
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Illinois State University. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Illinois State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from North Central College
NIU is a large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northern Illinois University
Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Aurora University
EIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Charleston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Eastern Illinois University
WIU is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Macomb.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Western Illinois University
SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 1,324 |
| Recreation Administration | 121 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 91 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 1,069 |