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

14 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,727 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.

College Factual looked at 14 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,727 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 Pennsylvania 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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Pennsylvania list to help you make the college decision. 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 Pennsylvania

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.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
291 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,658 Median Starting Salary

Temple University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Temple is a fairly large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 291 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $31,658 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,882 Median Starting Salary

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the fringe town of East Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 58th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 120 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at East Stroudsburg University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $32,882 at the beginning of their careers.

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

3
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.4% Growth in Graduates

Drexel University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Drexel University earn a boost of around $6,384 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #621 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SRU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 112 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SRU 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 $35,491.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In PA
80 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded

LVC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Annville. A Best Colleges rank of #607 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means LVC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 80 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at LVC in the most recent year we have data available.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,363 Median Starting Salary

Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #616 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kutztown University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 60 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $36,363 for their early career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In PA
73 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded

Gannon is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Erie. This university ranks 38th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 73 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gannon in the most recent data year.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In PA
51 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Scranton, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Scranton is a great university overall.

There were about 51 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of Scranton in the most recent data year.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
15.2% Growth in Graduates

IUP is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Indiana. This university ranks 54th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 132 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at IUP in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus make $2,116 more than the standard parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
23.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 47th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at YCP in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $35,739 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from York College of Pennsylvania

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 1,047
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 2,442
Recreation Administration 178
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 99
Outdoor Education 5
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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