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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region

24 Colleges in the New England Region
2,933 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 reviewed 24 schools in the New England Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,933 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 the New England Region 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. 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.

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

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 the New England Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 the New England Region

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 England Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
20.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UMass Amherst is a very large public university located in the city of Amherst. A Best Colleges rank of #60 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great university overall.

There were approximately 181 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make around $36,419 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
171 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of New Hampshire - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the fringe town of Durham, UNH is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNH is a great university overall.

There were roughly 171 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $36,409 in their early careers.

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

3
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,338 Median Starting Salary

Endicott College is a good choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #398 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Endicott is a great college overall.

There were roughly 93 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Endicott in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $30,338 in their early careers.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Plymouth State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Plymouth State is a small public university located in the town of Plymouth. This university ranks 9th out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were about 85 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Plymouth State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $33,293 in their early career salary.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
22.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #455 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMass Boston is a great university overall.

There were approximately 185 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Massachusetts - Boston earn $3,209 more than the average parks & rec student.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
22.7% Growth in Graduates

UCONN is a very large public university located in the fringe town of Storrs. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCONN is a great university overall.

There were approximately 66 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at University of Connecticut earn $5,823 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,963 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Providence, JWU Providence is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #236 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JWU Providence is a great university overall.

There were approximately 76 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at JWU Providence 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 $30,963.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Johnson & Wales University - Providence

8
Dean College crest
Dean College
Franklin, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In MA
73 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded

Dean College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Franklin. This college ranks 55th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 73 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Dean College in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,456 Median Starting Salary

Westfield is a small public university located in the suburb of Westfield. A Best Colleges rank of #505 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Westfield is a great university overall.

There were about 45 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Westfield in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $32,456 for their early career.

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

10
Lasell crest
Lasell University
Newton, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$39,483 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Newton, Lasell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 43rd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 61 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lasell in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Lasell University make $4,989 more than the standard parks & rec graduate.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools for a specific state in the New England Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 37 568
Maine 37 200
Rhode Island 37 280
Massachusetts 37 1,194
Connecticut 35 327
Vermont 34 165

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,598
Recreation Administration 264
Outdoor Education 34
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 19
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 18

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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