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2024 Best Recreation Administration Schools

66 Colleges in the United States
3,122 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$31,874 Avg Early-Career Salary
Recreation Administration is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #163 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual reviewed 66 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of recreation administration. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,122 degrees in recreation administration during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Recreation Administration School

Best Recreation Administration Schools Your choice of recreation administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Recreation Administration 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.

Pick Your Recreation Administration Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Recreation Admin
Bachelor's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Master's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Doctor's Degrees in Recreation Admin

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Recreation Administration Schools 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 Recreation Administration in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of recreation admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Schools in Recreation Admin

1
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$36,645 Median Starting Salary

Clemson University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in recreation administration. Clemson is a very large public university located in the suburb of Clemson. A Best Colleges rank of #107 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were approximately 174 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available. Recreation Administration degree recipients from Clemson University receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,770 above the typical earnings of recreation administration majors.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Clemson University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in recreation administration. UNH is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #233 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNH is a great university overall.

There were about 76 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the recreation administration program at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus make $2,118 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$33,795 Median Starting Salary

University of Florida is a good choice for students interested in a degree in recreation administration. UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 59 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program report average early career income of $33,795.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of Florida

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$37,858 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat North Carolina State University if you wish to pursue a degree in recreation administration. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 79 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from North Carolina State University earn $5,983 more than the typical recreation admin graduate.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from North Carolina State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$26,378 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #176 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great university overall.

There were roughly 50 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale in the most recent data year. After graduation, recreation admin degree recipients typically earn about $26,378 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

6
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$47,249 Median Starting Salary

UARK is a very large public university located in the small city of Fayetteville. A Best Colleges rank of #198 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UARK is a great university overall.

There were approximately 19 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UARK in the most recent data year. Recreation Administration degree recipients from University of Arkansas get an earnings boost of around $15,375 above the average earnings of recreation administration graduates.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of Arkansas

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$27,454 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 84 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program report average early career income of $27,454.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
267 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$32,195 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #183 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 267 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the recreation admin program report average early career earnings of $32,195.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Florida International University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SD
$25,745 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means South Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from South Dakota State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$36,914 Median Starting Salary

Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato. This university ranks 13th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 36 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the recreation administration program at Minnesota State University - Mankato earn $5,040 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Minnesota State University - Mankato

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Recreation Administration students that almost earned our Best Recreation Administration Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
12 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
13 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
14 Illinois State University Normal, IL
15 University of North Texas Denton, TX
16 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO

Recreation Administration by Region

View the Best Recreation Administration Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Recreation Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Recreation Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 2,937
Golf Course Operation & Grounds Management 173
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 12

View All Recreation Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3,106
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

View All Recreation Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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