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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

7 Colleges
$69,500 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree 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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 7 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top Southwest Region Schools for a Doctorate in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

Our analysis found The University of Texas at Austin to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

Out of the 7 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the # 2 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the city of College Station.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station

#3

Baylor University

Waco, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baylor University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Baylor University Report

#4

University of Houston

Houston, TX

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Houston is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their doctor’s degree. UH is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Houston.

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The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Texas Woman’s University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southwest Region . TWU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denton.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Woman’s University

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Arlington

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 36
Texas 843
Oklahoma 276
New Mexico 25

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

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 7 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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