2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #18 most popular major in the country with 10,452 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 299 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our analysis found Winona State University to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Winona State University Report
Out of the 299 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The excellent programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Dakota State University Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
The excellent programs at Columbia University in the City of New York helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Northwestern University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwestern University
Saint Cloud State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Saint Cloud State University Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
North Carolina State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina State University Report
American Public University System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.
Shenandoah University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shenandoah University
With a ranking of #12, University of Arkansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.
Southern Methodist University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Methodist University
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #14 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
Concordia University, Irvine landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Irvine
With a ranking of #16, Georgetown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
United States Sports Academy landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at United States Sports Academy
University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
University of Florida landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida
University of Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #20 on the list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Iowa
With a ranking of #21, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #22 on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report
Grace College and Theological Seminary came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Grace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona Lake.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary Report
Concordia University, Nebraska came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Seward.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Nebraska
With a ranking of #25, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 46 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 47 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 48 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 49 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 50 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 51 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 52 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 53 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 54 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
| 55 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 56 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 57 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 58 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 59 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Parks & Rec
Parks & Rec Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 9,742 |
| Recreation Administration | 441 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 206 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 35 |
| Outdoor Education | 28 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Parks & Rec
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 53,252 |
| Legal Professions | 45,189 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 13,045 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 1,613 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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