2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in California
36
Colleges in California
11,233
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494
Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #15 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 36 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 11,233 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Degree Level
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 California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the parks & rec degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Parks & Rec
San Diego State University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 427 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $27,500 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Diego State University
Concordia University, Irvine is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 67th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 370 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Concordia University, Irvine receive an earnings boost of around $25,732 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Irvine
San Francisco State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 227 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $26,916 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Francisco State University
Saint Mary's College of California is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Moraga. A Best Colleges rank of #148 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMC is a great college overall.
There were roughly 45 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Saint Mary's College of California receive an earnings boost of approximately $29,956 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Saint Mary’s College of California
CSULB is a very large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were about 472 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $31,826.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Long Beach
Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 384 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $34,998 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Sacramento
USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 163 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at University of San Francisco get $7,302 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of San Francisco
Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public university located in the suburb of Pomona. A Best Colleges rank of #436 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly Pomona is a great university overall.
There were about 159 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly Pomona in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn about $28,364 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #271 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal State Fullerton is a great university overall.
There were roughly 558 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make around $25,151 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Fullerton
Located in the city of Chico, Chico State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 64th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 305 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn around $31,789 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Chico
