2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New York
15
Colleges in New York
2,598
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.
College Factual looked at 15 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,598 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies annually.
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
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New York list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 New York
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 New York Schools in Parks & Rec
Syracuse University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.
There were approximately 147 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $34,821.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Syracuse University
SUNY Cortland is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland. A Best Colleges rank of #218 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SUNY Cortland is a great school overall.
There were roughly 319 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Cortland in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $32,153 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland
It's hard to beat Canisius College if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 71st out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 139 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Canisius in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Canisius College earn $5,881 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Canisius College
Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out The College at Brockport. SUNY Brockport is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Brockport. This college ranks 64th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 166 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Brockport in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $27,043 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The College at Brockport
Manhattanville is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Purchase. This college ranks 94th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 66 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Manhattanville in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Manhattanville College earn $15,543 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Manhattanville College
Located in the large suburb of Garden City, Adelphi is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #183 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Adelphi is a great university overall.
There were roughly 92 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Adelphi in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $35,426 for their early career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adelphi University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
17th
Most Popular In NY
67
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
Located in the remote town of Oneonta, SUNY Oneonta is a public school with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #358 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SUNY Oneonta is a great school overall.
There were roughly 67 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Oneonta in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Oneonta
Located in the suburb of Rochester, Fisher is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #493 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Fisher is a great college overall.
There were roughly 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Fisher in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make an average of $36,273 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St. John Fisher College
STJ is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Queens. A Best Colleges rank of #298 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means STJ is a great university overall.
There were about 106 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at STJ in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $32,824 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St John’s University - New York
Brooklyn College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Brooklyn. This college ranks 62nd out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 98 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Brooklyn College in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Brooklyn College make $12,352 more than the standard parks & rec grad.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Brooklyn College
