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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington

6 Colleges
$34,351 Avg Salary
$22,581 Avg Student Debt

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

With 122 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #21 most popular major in Washington.

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Washington to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

Top Washington Schools in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

Our 2023 rankings named Eastern Washington University the best school in Washington for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. EWU is a fairly large public school located in the fringe town of Cheney.

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#2

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Seattle University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.

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

#3

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

Out of the 6 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Gonzaga University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gonzaga University

The excellent programs at Washington State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Washington. Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Washington State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. CWU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Ellensburg.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Central Washington University Report

Western Washington University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public school with a large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Washington University Report

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 1,097
Oregon 67
Nevada 13
Hawaii 12
Alaska 5

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 6 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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