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

5 Colleges in Arizona
1,485 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 5 schools in Arizona to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,485 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 Arizona Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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

Associate Degrees in Parks & Rec
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 Arizona ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Arizona

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.

Top Arizona Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
379 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,256 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Arizona State University - Tempe. ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 379 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $33,256 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
31.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Northern Arizona University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were roughly 273 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make around $29,731 at the beginning of their careers.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
245 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,723 Median Starting Salary

Grand Canyon University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 245 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $34,723 in the first five years of their career.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
308 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,367 Median Starting Salary

Bryan University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Tempe, Bryan University is a private for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 308 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bryan University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $35,367.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Surprise, Ottawa University - Surprise is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly small student population.More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ottawa University - Surprise

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 38 7,380
New Mexico 38 141
Oklahoma 38 1,178

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,319
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 124
Outdoor Education 34
Recreation Administration 8

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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