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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

9 Colleges
$31,990 Avg Salary
$25,658 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 433 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Virginia 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 Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

Top Virginia Schools in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

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 degree in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#2

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 #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

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#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia 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

#4

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

#5

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the city of Norfolk.

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Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

#7

Randolph College

Lynchburg, VA

Randolph College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Randolph is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

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#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

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

#9

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Hampton University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 160
Florida 448
North Carolina 289
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

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 9 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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