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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

48 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
13,660 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,616 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #15 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 48 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 13,660 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region The parks & rec program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Parks & Rec
Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Doctor's Degrees in Parks & Rec

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 Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of parks & rec degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
438 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$42,406 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Concordia University, Irvine. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Irvine. This university ranks 54th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 438 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Concordia University, Irvine earn $10,790 more than the standard parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Irvine

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
491 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at California State University - Long Beach. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 491 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from California State University - Long Beach receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,835 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Long Beach

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
265 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$26,952 Median Starting Salary

University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #149 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNLV is a great university overall.

There were approximately 265 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNLV in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn about $26,952 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Nevada - Las Vegas

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
454 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out San Diego State University. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were about 454 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $28,564 for their early career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Diego State University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$39,538 Median Starting Salary

Wazzu is a very large public university located in the distant town of Pullman. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Washington State University make $7,922 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Washington State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
290 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$40,670 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 290 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from San Jose State University earn $9,055 more than the typical parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Jose State University

6
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$38,239 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were about 40 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Seattle University make $6,623 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Seattle University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
227 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were approximately 227 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn $9,026 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

8
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
28.1% Growth in Graduates

Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Spokane. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Gonzaga is a great university overall.

There were about 64 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Gonzaga University make $9,492 more than the typical parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Gonzaga University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
280 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
17.1% Growth in Graduates

Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside. This university ranks 82nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 280 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Baptist in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from California Baptist University make $7,186 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California Baptist University

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 38 11,234
Washington 37 673
Oregon 37 626
Hawaii 36 171
Nevada 35 272
Alaska 33 35

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 12,743
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 787
Recreation Administration 115
Outdoor Education 15

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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