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

6 Colleges in Nebraska
362 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in Nebraska to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 362 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 Nebraska 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

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 Nebraska list to help you make the college 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 Nebraska

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.

Top Nebraska Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,791 Median Starting Salary

Nebraska Wesleyan University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. NWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lincoln. This university ranks 13th out of 19 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were about 43 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at NWU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $28,791 for their early career.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$42,452 Median Starting Salary

University of Nebraska at Omaha is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Omaha. A Best Colleges rank of #776 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNOMAHA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 54 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNOMAHA in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Nebraska at Omaha earn $7,957 more than the typical parks & rec student.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,316 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into University of Nebraska at Kearney. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 11th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were roughly 67 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNK 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 $30,316.

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

4
Midland U crest
Midland University
Fremont, NE

Midland University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Fremont, Midland U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 14th out of 19 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were approximately 29 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Midland U in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make around $31,475 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$35,343 Median Starting Salary

WSC is a small public college located in the town of Wayne. A Best Colleges rank of #998 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WSC is a great college overall.

There were about 27 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WSC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $35,343 in their early career salary.

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

6
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #390 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bellevue University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 34 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bellevue University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $33,229 for their early career.

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

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
Kansas 38 710
Minnesota 38 1,137
Iowa 38 1,465
South Dakota 38 342
Missouri 38 1,326
North Dakota 35 266

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 290
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 53
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 16
Recreation Administration 3

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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