2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master'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. 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 Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 294 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master'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.
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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the best school in the United States for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The excellent master’s degree 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 large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Dakota State University Report
The excellent master’s degree programs at Columbia University in the City of New York helped the school earn the #4 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.
Out of the 294 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Saint Cloud State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public school with a large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Saint Cloud State University
With a ranking of #7, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report
North Carolina State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
American Public University System landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
University of Arkansas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UARK is a very large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Arkansas
Southern Methodist University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #12 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.
With a ranking of #13, Concordia University, Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Irvine
Georgetown University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Georgetown University Report
University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
University of Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
Grace College and Theological Seminary ranked #19 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. 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 ranked #20 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools list. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Seward.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #22, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public school with a very large student population.
University of Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Iowa Report
United States Sports Academy came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree 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 Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 46 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 47 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
| 48 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 49 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 50 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 51 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 52 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 53 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 54 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 55 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 56 | Kean University | Union, NJ |
| 57 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 58 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree 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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