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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

10 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.

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 in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Virginia to see which ones were the most popular programs 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.

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

#1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Commonwealth University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.

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#3

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Out of the 10 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Old Dominion University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

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

#4

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.

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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Virginia - Main Campus is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#6

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

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#7

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA

Virginia State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Virginia State is a small public school located in the suburb of Petersburg.

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#8

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Hampton University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

#9

Randolph College

Lynchburg, VA

Randolph College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Randolph is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

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#10

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

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

Explore all the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools 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 10 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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