by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 66 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,349 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
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 account for this we consider 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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
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 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 the Southwest Region.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks 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.
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to check out Texas A&M University - College Station. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the midsize city of College Station.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin
Arizona State University - Tempe is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arizona State University - Tempe
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to check out Rice University. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice 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 Rice University
UH is a very large public university located in the city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Houston
Texas State is a very large public university located in the small city of San Marcos.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas State University
SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Methodist University
UNT is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Denton.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Texas
Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor 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 Baylor University
SHSU is a very large public university located in the distant town of Huntsville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Sam Houston State University
Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas Tech University
NAU is a very large public university located in the city of Flagstaff.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northern Arizona University
Located in the remote town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Tarleton State University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 15 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 16 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ |
| 17 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
| 18 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
| 19 | Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 21 | Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX |
| 22 | Southern Nazarene University | Bethany, OK |
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 35 | 6,105 |
| Arizona | 33 | 838 |
| Oklahoma | 32 | 847 |
| New Mexico | 31 | 110 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 7,053 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 139 |
| Recreation Administration | 106 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 41 |
| Outdoor Education | 10 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 4,899 |