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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

16 Colleges
$31,801 Avg Salary
$23,333 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for You

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the #223 most popular major in the country with 206 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the United States

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

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The excellent programs at Ohio University - Athens Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the United States. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#5

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

The excellent programs at SUNY Cortland helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the United States. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortland Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#7

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking. U of U is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Utah Report

With a ranking of #8, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Chico did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico Report

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies by Region

View the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 9,742
Recreation Administration 441
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 35
Outdoor Education 28

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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