2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools
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. 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 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 412 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our analysis found Concordia University, Irvine to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Chicago is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the small suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out of the 412 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
With a ranking of #7, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #8, Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Durant.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Report
Georgetown University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Georgetown University Report
Southern New Hampshire University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Manchester.
With a ranking of #10, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California Baptist University
California State University - Long Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
With a ranking of #13, Western Kentucky University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. WKU is a large public school located in the small city of Bowling Green.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Kentucky University Report
University of Florida came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Georgia Southern University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. GaSou is a very large public school located in the town of Statesboro.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Georgia Southern University
Clemson University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a very large student population.
University of San Francisco ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
Logan University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Logan University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chesterfield.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Logan University Report
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the city of College Station.
University of Northern Colorado landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Colorado
Concordia University, Saint Paul came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul Report
Temple University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Temple is a very large public school located in the city of Philadelphia.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Temple University Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
National University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at National University Report
SUNY Cortland landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Cortland.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SUNY Cortland
Rest of the Top Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 412 different United States parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
| 52 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL |
| 52 | University of Western States | Portland, OR |
| 52 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 55 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 55 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 57 | Lock Haven University | Lock Haven, PA |
| 58 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 58 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 58 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 61 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 61 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 61 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 61 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 65 | United States Sports Academy | Daphne, AL |
| 65 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 68 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 68 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 70 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, IL |
| 70 | East Central University | Ada, OK |
| 70 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 73 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 73 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 73 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 73 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 77 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 77 | East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, TN |
| 79 | Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network | Boston, MA |
| 79 | University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 79 | University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, MO |
| 79 | Springfield College | Springfield, MA |
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Majors Related to Parks & Rec
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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.
- 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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