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

26 Colleges in Ohio
2,690 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 26 schools in Ohio to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,690 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 Ohio 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Ohio ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Ohio

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 Ohio Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$38,013 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 243.99999999999997 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn a boost of around $3,518 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
320 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$41,045 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Miami University - Oxford if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #134 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 320 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Miami University - Oxford earn $6,551 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
288 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$49,322 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Ohio University - Athens Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the distant town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were approximately 288 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Ohio University - Athens Campus get $14,828 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
29.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Dayton is a great decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UDayton is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Dayton. A Best Colleges rank of #227 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UDayton is a great university overall.

There were about 48 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Dayton get an earnings boost of approximately $3,517 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

Kent State is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Kent. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were about 147 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $34,296 at the beginning of their careers.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
28.9% Growth in Graduates

Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Berea. A Best Colleges rank of #872 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Baldwin Wallace College is a great university overall.

There were about 38 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Baldwin Wallace College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Baldwin Wallace University get $2,034 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,631 Median Starting Salary

Mount Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Alliance. This university ranks 52nd out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 56 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mount Union in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $33,631 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Mount Union

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
209 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

BGSU is a large public university located in the town of Bowling Green. A Best Colleges rank of #547 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means BGSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 209 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn an average of $32,348 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

9
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
29.1% Growth in Graduates

Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #277 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.

There were roughly 86 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make an average of $31,521 in their early careers.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

OWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Delaware. This university ranks 53rd out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 33 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at OWU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $28,294.

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

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
Michigan 38 2,277
Illinois 38 2,391
Wisconsin 37 996

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,508
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 128
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 48
Recreation Administration 6

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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