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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

86 Colleges
$41,687 Avg Salary

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.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

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 in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 86 schools in the Southeast Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

Check out the parks and rec master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of Virginia - Main Campus to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the Southeast Region . University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina State University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.

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#4

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Arkansas is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. UARK is a very large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.

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#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 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 Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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United States Sports Academy landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at United States Sports Academy

Florida International University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.

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#9

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University 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 #9 on the list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

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

#10

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University 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 #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a very large student population.

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

#11

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at James Madison University Report

#12

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
14 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
15 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
16 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
17 Augusta University Augusta, GA

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 Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 160
Florida 448
North Carolina 289
Virginia 433
Tennessee 287
Georgia 308
South Carolina 220
Louisiana 152
West Virginia 236
Kentucky 279
Arkansas 292
Alabama 216

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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