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

44 Colleges in Texas
7,113 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 looked at 44 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,113 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 Texas 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. 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.

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

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 Texas 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 Texas

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.

10 Top Texas Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
607 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$39,147 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out Texas A&M University - College Station. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 607 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,652 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
307 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,583 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to check out The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 307 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $35,583 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$51,110 Median Starting Salary

Rice University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were roughly 104 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Rice University make $16,616 more than the standard parks & rec student.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
417 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,759 Median Starting Salary

University of Houston is a great decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UH is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #369 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were about 417 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UH 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 $30,759.

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

5
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
512 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,333 Median Starting Salary

Texas State is a very large public university located in the city of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #396 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 512 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Texas State 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 $33,333.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 133 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Southern Methodist University earn $8,451 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,675 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were approximately 124 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Baylor University get $2,180 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
420 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.0% Growth in Graduates

UNT is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Denton. A Best Colleges rank of #310 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNT is a great university overall.

There were roughly 420 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $35,960.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$37,005 Median Starting Salary

SHSU is a very large public university located in the distant town of Huntsville. A Best Colleges rank of #480 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SHSU is a great university overall.

There were about 151 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SHSU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Sam Houston State University receive an earnings boost of about $2,511 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
18.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #485 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means South Texas College is a great college overall.

There were about 50 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College 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 $22,699.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 38 1,051
New Mexico 38 141
Oklahoma 38 1,178

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 6,901
Recreation Administration 130
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 82

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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