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

10 Colleges in Kansas
713 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.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Kansas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 713 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 Kansas 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

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec

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 Kansas 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 Kansas

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 Kansas Schools in Parks & Rec

1
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
201 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,891 Median Starting Salary

University of Kansas is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 201 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn about $33,891 in the first five years of their career.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.7% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Pittsburg State University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1116 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Pitt State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $35,587.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,083 Median Starting Salary

Kansas State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. K -State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Manhattan. A Best Colleges rank of #269 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Kansas State University make $2,589 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,293 Median Starting Salary

Wichita State University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. WSU is a large public university located in the city of Wichita. This university ranks 15th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 75 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WSU 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 $34,293.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In KS
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Ottawa is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Ottawa. This university ranks 31st out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 27 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ottawa in the most recent year we have data available.

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

6
University of St. Mary crest
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In KS

University of St. Mary is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Leavenworth. This university ranks 22nd out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 21 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of St. Mary in the most recent year we have data available.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Topeka, Washburn University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1163 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Washburn University is a great university overall.

There were about 48 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Washburn University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $25,679 in their early careers.

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

8
SC crest
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In KS

SC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Winfield. This college ranks 25th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 14 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SC in the most recent data year.

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

9
Sterling College crest
Sterling College
Sterling, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,086 Median Starting Salary

Located in the rural area of Sterling, Sterling College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 13 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Sterling College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $30,086 for their early career.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,881 Median Starting Salary

Bethany College Kansas is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the remote area of Lindsborg.

There were about 26 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bethany College Kansas in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career earnings of $28,881.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 38 1,137
Iowa 38 1,465
South Dakota 38 342
Missouri 38 1,326
Nebraska 36 429
North Dakota 35 266

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 654
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 42
Recreation Administration 17

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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