by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 170 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 15,402 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
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 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 the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Clemson University is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University
University of Georgia is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Georgia
James Madison University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill 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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UF is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Florida
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the city of Knoxville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC 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 South Carolina - Columbia
Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University 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 Wake Forest University
Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from North Carolina State University
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Emory University
Florida State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Florida State University
Elon is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Elon University
Mississippi State is a very large public university located in the town of Mississippi State.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Mississippi State University
GaSou is a very large public university located in the town of Statesboro.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Georgia Southern University
American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from American Public University System
Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
UofL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Louisville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Louisville
The Citadel is a small public college located in the city of Charleston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from George Mason University
Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM 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 Memphis
Located in the remote town of University, Ole Miss 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 Mississippi
Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Liberty University
UARK is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Fayetteville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Arkansas
Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Boone.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Appalachian State University
William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William & Mary
Here are some additional great schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 34 | 3,089 |
| Mississippi | 34 | 890 |
| Florida | 34 | 1,760 |
| Virginia | 34 | 1,296 |
| Alabama | 33 | 743 |
| Georgia | 33 | 1,646 |
| West Virginia | 32 | 1,002 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 2,175 |
| South Carolina | 32 | 1,116 |
| Kentucky | 31 | 861 |
| Louisiana | 31 | 551 |
| Arkansas | 30 | 720 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 14,144 |
| Recreation Administration | 871 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 328 |
| Outdoor Education | 42 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 17 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 7,816 |