2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Minnesota
13
Colleges in Minnesota
1,131
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 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Minnesota ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,131 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
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. 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
The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Minnesota.
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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota Schools in Parks & Rec
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were roughly 108 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $36,040.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minnesota State University - Mankato is a great decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the small city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #412 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.
There were approximately 169 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Minnesota State University - Mankato receive an earnings boost of around $2,869 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Minnesota State University - Mankato
Winona State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #330 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Winona State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Winona State University make $4,621 more than the standard parks & rec grad.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Winona State University
Gustavus Adolphus College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Saint Peter. This college ranks 37th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 39 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gustavus Adolphus in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Gustavus Adolphus College get an earnings boost of approximately $4,302 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Gustavus Adolphus College
Located in the town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #301 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.
There were roughly 15 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf 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 $33,577.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St Olaf College
Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 45th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 208 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Saint Paul in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Concordia University, Saint Paul earn $3,101 more than the typical parks & rec student.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Saint Paul
Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #476 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bethel University Minnesota is a great university overall.
There were roughly 45 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bethel University Minnesota in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $31,919.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Bethel University Minnesota
Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 17th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 65 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn around $33,055 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Minnesota - Duluth
Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 47th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 40 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Southwest Minnesota State University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $32,802 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southwest Minnesota State University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 27 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Moorhead earn $3,594 more than the average parks & rec graduate.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Minnesota State University - Moorhead
