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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region

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

88 Colleges
$30,102 Avg Salary
$25,352 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.

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.

The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 88 schools in the Southeast 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 Southeast Region

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

Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in the Southeast Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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The excellent programs at North Carolina State 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 Southeast Region . Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

The excellent programs at American Public University System helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Public University System Report

#4

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Shenandoah University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

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

#5

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

The excellent programs at University of Arkansas 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 . UARK is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.

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United States Sports Academy 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. Located in the small city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at United States Sports Academy Report

#7

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida ranked #7 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college 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 ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

#9

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a very large student population.

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

Florida International University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Miami.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida International University Report

#11

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

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#12

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Citadel Military College of South Carolina did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #13 on the list. The Citadel is a small public school located in the city of Charleston.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Citadel Military College of South Carolina

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 Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
15 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
16 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
17 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC

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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