2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in
parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #13 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 2024, College Factual analyzed 501 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 55,115 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the United States
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
It's hard to beat Rice University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rice University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
274
Annual Graduates
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
129
Annual Graduates
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Clemson University. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
291
Annual Graduates
The University of Texas at Austin is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
474
Annual Graduates
Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
136
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Emory University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
301
Annual Graduates
Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
576
Annual Graduates
IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
608
Annual Graduates
Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Iowa
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
192
Annual Graduates
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
292
Annual Graduates
JMU is a very large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
175
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Florida
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
129
Annual Graduates
Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
351
Annual Graduates
ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tempe.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arizona State University - Tempe
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
259
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
220
Annual Graduates
UofSC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of South Carolina - Columbia
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
144
Annual Graduates
Located in the small suburb of Durham, UNH is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
473
Annual Graduates
Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from American Public University System
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
84
Annual Graduates
Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Methodist University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
386
Annual Graduates
UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
362
Annual Graduates
U of U is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Utah
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
244
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Georgia
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
28
Annual Graduates
Located in the suburb of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Connecticut
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
233
Annual Graduates
UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Maryland - College Park