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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan

18 Colleges in Michigan
2,303 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #15 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 18 schools in Michigan to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,303 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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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

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 Michigan. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Michigan

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the parks & rec degree levels they offer.

10 Top Michigan Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
310 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$43,269 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 310 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $8,775 more than the standard parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
355 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,194 Median Starting Salary

Michigan State University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 355 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $31,194 for their early career.

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

3
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
247 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,259 Median Starting Salary

Central Michigan University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Central Michigan is a large public university located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant. A Best Colleges rank of #346 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Central Michigan is a great university overall.

There were approximately 247 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $33,259.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
275 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,913 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Grand Valley State University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the fringe town of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #342 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GVSU is a great university overall.

There were about 275 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $29,913 in their early careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
160 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
14.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 160 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $28,764 for their early career.

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

6
Adrian crest
Adrian College
Adrian, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
1.6% Growth in Graduates

Adrian is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Adrian. This college ranks 25th out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were approximately 63 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Adrian in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Adrian College receive an earnings boost of about $2,314 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adrian College

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,499 Median Starting Salary

Eastern Michigan is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti. A Best Colleges rank of #598 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Eastern Michigan is a great university overall.

There were about 107 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Eastern Michigan in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,499.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In MI

Located in the town of Houghton, Michigan Tech is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #242 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan Tech is a great university overall.

There were approximately 22 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Michigan Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Aquinas College Michigan crest
Aquinas College Michigan
Grand Rapids, MI

Located in the city of Grand Rapids, Aquinas College Michigan is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 44th out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 24 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Aquinas College Michigan in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $27,301 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Aquinas College Michigan

10
Hope crest
Hope College
Holland, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 16th out of 56 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 44 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Hope in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make around $25,862 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Hope College

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 1,818
Ohio 38 2,635
Illinois 38 2,391
Wisconsin 37 996

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,228
Recreation Administration 37
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 19
Outdoor Education 19

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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