2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Washington
5
Colleges in Washington
665
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494
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.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 665 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
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
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 Schools in Washington.
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 Washington
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.
Top Washington Schools in Parks & Rec
It's hard to beat Washington State University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Wazzu is a very large public university located in the town of Pullman. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.
There were roughly 124 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $30,815.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Washington State University
Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to check out Central Washington University. CWU is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Ellensburg. This university ranks 6th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were roughly 137 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Central Washington University make $9,992 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Central Washington University
It's difficult to beat Western Washington University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #287 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.
There were about 92 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make around $28,261 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Western Washington University
It's difficult to beat Pacific Lutheran University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. PLU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Tacoma. This university ranks 9th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were approximately 54 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at PLU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $33,449 for their early career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Pacific Lutheran University
Puget Sound is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Tacoma. This university ranks 14th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were about 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Puget Sound in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $22,260 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Puget Sound
