Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

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

Find Schools Near

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

41 Colleges
$32,393 Avg Salary
$22,734 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.

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.

The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 41 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

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

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

Our analysis found Southern Methodist University to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report

#4

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tarleton State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

#5

Baylor University

Waco, TX

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Baylor University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

West Texas A&M University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Texas A&M University

Texas Woman’s University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. TWU is a large public school located in the midsize city of Denton.

Read More…

Southern Nazarene University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bethany.

Read More…

University of North Texas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denton.

Read More…

#10

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

Lamar 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 #10 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public college with a large student population.

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

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 Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 36
Texas 843
Oklahoma 276
New Mexico 25

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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.