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

7 Colleges in Arkansas
962 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #15 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 7 schools in Arkansas to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 962 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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Arkansas Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master'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 Arkansas ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Arkansas

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the parks & rec degree levels they offer.

Top Arkansas Schools in Parks & Rec

1
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,968 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Arkansas if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UARK is a great university overall.

There were roughly 241 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UARK 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 $31,968.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$44,162 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Arkansas State University - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. A-State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Jonesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #753 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means A-State is a great university overall.

There were about 259 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at A-State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Arkansas State University - Main Campus get $9,668 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arkansas State University - Main Campus

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,178 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Harding University. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #640 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Harding is a great university overall.

There were about 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Harding in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $29,178.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at University of Central Arkansas. UCA is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Conway. This university ranks 11th out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were roughly 143 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCA in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $31,767 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,385 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Arkadelphia, Ouachita Baptist is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 10th out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were approximately 23 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ouachita Baptist in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $31,385 at the beginning of their careers.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,213 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Monticello, UAM is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 21st out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were about 40 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UAM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career income of $29,213.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,944 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 32nd out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were approximately 43 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Henderson State University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $35,944.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 38 3,418
West Virginia 38 1,226
Mississippi 38 1,121
South Carolina 38 1,336
Florida 38 2,335
Virginia 38 1,717
Alabama 37 959
Kentucky 37 1,091
Georgia 37 1,977
Tennessee 37 2,459
Louisiana 37 703

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 811
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 84
Recreation Administration 64
Outdoor Education 3

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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