2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin
10
Colleges in Wisconsin
1,096
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 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,096 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. 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.
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
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 Wisconsin.
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 Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin Schools in Parks & Rec
University of Wisconsin - Madison is a good option for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were about 207 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison 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 $29,866.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In WI
119
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
Carroll University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Carroll U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Waukesha. A Best Colleges rank of #525 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Carroll U is a great university overall.
There were roughly 119 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Carroll U in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Carroll University
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #380 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - La Crosse is a great university overall.
There were roughly 248 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - La Crosse in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $34,184 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Carthage College. Located in the small city of Kenosha, Carthage is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 37th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 43 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Carthage in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Carthage College receive $2,144 more than the standard parks & rec graduate.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Carthage College
Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #456 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Eau Claire is a great university overall.
There were roughly 74 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Eau Claire 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 income of $32,801.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were approximately 65 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $34,066 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
UW - Platteville is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Platteville. This university ranks 20th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 26 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Platteville in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Platteville make $11,533 more than the standard parks & rec student.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 35th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 34 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $34,503 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In WI
59
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
Located in the rural area of Kenosha, UW - Parkside is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 43rd out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 59 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Parkside in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Located in the large suburb of Mequon, Concordia University, Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #539 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Wisconsin is a great university overall.
There were about 15 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Wisconsin in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $27,522 for their early career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Wisconsin
