2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri
16
Colleges in Missouri
1,246
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #15 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,246 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. For our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
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
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 Missouri ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Missouri
The schools below may not offer all types of parks & rec degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Missouri Schools in Parks & Rec
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In MO
99
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Saint Louis University. Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #243 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.
There were about 99 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Saint Louis University
Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out Lindenwood University. Located in the small city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #654 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Lindenwood University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 109 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lindenwood University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,314.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Lindenwood University
University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were approximately 87 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of Missouri - Columbia make $4,231 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Missouri - Columbia
Truman State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Truman State is a small public university located in the remote town of Kirksville. A Best Colleges rank of #800 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Truman State is a great university overall.
There were about 78 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Truman State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,865.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Truman State University
Northwest is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Maryville. This university ranks 20th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were roughly 53 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Northwest in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Northwest Missouri State University earn $4,488 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northwest Missouri State University
Located in the large city of Kansas City, Rockhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #509 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rockhurst is a great university overall.More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rockhurst University
Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were about 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of Central Missouri get $5,007 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Central Missouri
Missouri State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #575 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 149 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $29,211 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Missouri State University - Springfield
Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #319 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Maryville U is a great university overall.
There were about 42 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Maryville U in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn an average of $32,480 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Maryville University of Saint Louis
MBU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 26th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 36 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MBU in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Missouri Baptist University earn $2,671 more than the average parks & rec graduate.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Missouri Baptist University
