2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
19
Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
2,731
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.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,731 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
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
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 the Rocky Mountains Region 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 the Rocky Mountains Region
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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Parks & Rec
It's hard to beat Colorado State University - Fort Collins if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #178 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 316 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $34,875 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Colorado State University - Fort Collins
University of Utah is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #213 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.
There were roughly 337 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at University of Utah get $3,082 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Utah
University of Northern Colorado is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. University of Northern Colorado is a moderately-sized public university located in the midsize city of Greeley. A Best Colleges rank of #707 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Northern Colorado is a great university overall.
There were about 218 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of Northern Colorado in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Northern Colorado receive an earnings boost of around $3,552 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Northern Colorado
It's difficult to beat Metropolitan State University of Denver if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Denver, MSU Denver is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
There were about 117 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MSU Denver in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver receive $6,966 more than the standard parks & rec grad.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver
Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #257 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 244 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $33,249 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Brigham Young University - Provo
Colorado Mesa is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Grand Junction. This university ranks 26th out of 31 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
There were about 139 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado Mesa in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $31,253 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Colorado Mesa University
USU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Logan. A Best Colleges rank of #503 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 168 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $35,079 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Utah State University
Lewis - Clark State College is a small public college located in the small city of Lewiston. This college ranks 6th out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.
There were roughly 33 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lewis - Clark State College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $33,176 for their early career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Lewis - Clark State College
Located in the distant town of Moscow, U of I is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #845 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U of I is a great university overall.
There were roughly 41 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at U of I in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $27,484 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Idaho
Located in the town of Durango, FLC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 28th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
There were about 70 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at FLC 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 $24,705.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Fort Lewis College
