2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #13 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,024 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
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 Salaries
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.
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 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 Rocky Mountains Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
10 Top Rocky Mountains Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
289
Annual Graduates
It's hard to beat Colorado State University - Fort Collins if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Colorado State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Fort Collins.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
118
Annual Graduates
University of Utah is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U of U is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Utah
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
119
Annual Graduates
University of Northern Colorado is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Northern Colorado
Metropolitan State University of Denver is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. MSU Denver is a large public university located in the city of Denver.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
253
Annual Graduates
BYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Provo.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Brigham Young University - Provo
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
134
Annual Graduates
Located in the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Colorado Mesa University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
154
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Logan, USU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Utah State University
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
30
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Lewiston, Lewis - Clark State College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Lewis - Clark State College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
26
Annual Graduates
U of I is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Moscow.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Idaho
FLC is a small public college located in the town of Durango.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Fort Lewis College