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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

49 Colleges
$32,191 Avg Salary
$25,844 Avg Student Debt

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

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #18 in the country. In fact 10,452 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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 & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 49 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

The excellent programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Grace College and Theological Seminary is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary

#6

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

Valparaiso University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Athens.

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#9

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

Ashland University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ashland.

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Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

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

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 797
Indiana 192
Ohio 478
Wisconsin 117
Michigan 222

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

Majors Similar 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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