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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Arkansas

7 Colleges in Arkansas
662 Bachelor's Degrees
$30,896 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Arkansas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 662 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Arkansas 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.

A Great Overall School

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 consider a school'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.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Arkansas.

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 Arkansas

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

Top Arkansas Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
193 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at University of Arkansas. UARK is a very 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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Arkansas State University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arkansas State University - Main Campus

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Harding University. Harding is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Searcy.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Harding University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Annual Graduates

University of Central Arkansas is a great option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Conway, UCA is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Central Arkansas

5
29 Annual Graduates

Ouachita Baptist is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Arkadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ouachita Baptist University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Annual Graduates

UAM is a small public university located in the town of Monticello.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Arkansas at Monticello

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

Henderson State University is a small public university located in the distant town of Arkadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Henderson State University

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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

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Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 567
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 58
Recreation Administration 37

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 260

Notes and References

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