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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New Jersey

7 Colleges in New Jersey
1,114 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 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New Jersey ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,114 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New Jersey 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. 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.

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

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 New Jersey. 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 New Jersey

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.

Top New Jersey Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
396 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,252 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were approximately 396 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $30,252 for their early career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,382 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat William Paterson University of New Jersey if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large suburb of Wayne, William Paterson University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 12th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William Paterson University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $31,382 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William Paterson University of New Jersey

3
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$39,333 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Seton Hall University. Located in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #283 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Seton Hall is a great university overall.

There were about 44 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Seton Hall in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Seton Hall University earn a boost of around $4,839 above the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

4
Union County College crest
Union County College
Cranford, NJ
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In NJ
15.0% Growth in Graduates

Union County College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Union County College is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Cranford. This college ranks 25th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 20 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Union County College in the most recent year we have data available.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #290 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 136 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State 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 $29,907.

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

6
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
38.5% Growth in Graduates

Kean is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Union. This university ranks 21st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 78 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Kean in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Kean University get $3,390 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

7
Monmouth crest
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,907 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of West Long Branch, Monmouth is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 15th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Monmouth in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $27,907.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 38 2,724
New York 38 2,473
Maryland 37 832
Delaware 33 342
District of Columbia 33 316

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,102
Recreation Administration 12

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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