by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,387 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 take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host 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 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.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college 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.
James Madison University is one of the finest 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 fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University
It's difficult to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. 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
Liberty University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Liberty University
It is difficult to beat William & Mary if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William & Mary
University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah 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 Shenandoah University
Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Norfolk.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Old Dominion University
Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize suburb of Salem.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Roanoke College
Located in the distant town of Danville, AU 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 Averett University
Located in the rural area of Emory, Emory & Henry College 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 Emory and Henry College
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 |
| 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 | 1,305 |
| Recreation Administration | 42 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 33 |
| Outdoor Education | 7 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 1,031 |