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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

34 Colleges
$32,049 Avg Salary
$25,045 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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 the Middle Atlantic Region

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

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

Our 2023 rankings named Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia University in the City of New York is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

#3

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Georgetown University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

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

#4

Mount St Mary's University

Emmitsburg, MD

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Mount St Mary’s University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. The Mount is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Emmitsburg.

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#5

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drexel University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

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

University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. UMCP is a very large public school located in the suburb of College Park.

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#7

Kean University

Union, NJ

Kean University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Union, Kean is a public college with a large student population.

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

With a ranking of #8, University of Delaware did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Delaware Report

#9

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA

Lock Haven University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lock Haven University Report

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Bloomsburg is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Bloomsburg.

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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 Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 327
Pennsylvania 610
Maryland 32
New Jersey 79
District of Columbia 213
Delaware 23

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 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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