Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Methodist University

If you are interested in studying parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, you may want to check out the program at Southern Methodist University. The following information will help you decide if it is a good fit for you.

SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and has a total student population of 12,373. In the 2020-2021 academic year, 84 students received a bachelor's degree in parks and rec from SMU.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies section at the bottom of this page.

SMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Degrees Available

• Bachelor’s Degree in Parks & Rec
• Master’s Degree in Parks & Rec

SMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings

Each year, College Factual ranks parks and rec programs across the country. The following shows how SMU performed in these rankings.

Note: Rankings don't always give a complete picture of a school's strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to extend your research and also look at other factors when trying to decide if the school is right for you.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The parks and rec major at SMU is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools	6
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools	11
Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools	141
Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools	335

In 2021, 21 students received their master’s degree in parks and rec from SMU. This makes it the #141 most popular school for parks and rec master’s degree candidates in the country.

Parks & Rec Student Demographics at SMU

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the parks and rec majors at Southern Methodist University.

SMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 84 students graduated with a bachelor's degree in parks and rec from SMU. About 62% were men and 38% were women.

About 68% of those who receive a bachelor's degree in parks and rec at SMU are white. This is above average for this degree on the nationwide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor's in parks and rec.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	4
Black or African American	12
Hispanic or Latino	8
White	57
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

SMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 21 students graduated with a master's degree in parks and rec from SMU. About 62% were men and 38% were women.

Of the students who received a parks and rec master's degree from SMU, 71% were white. This is above average for this degree on the natiowide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Southern Methodist University with a master's in parks and rec.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	0
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	2
White	15
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

SMU also has a doctoral program available in parks and rec. In 2021, 0 student graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

The following parks and rec concentations are available at Southern Methodist University. The table shows all degrees awarded in this field awarded for all degree levels at Southern Methodist University. A concentration may not be available for your level.

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health & Physical Education	105

Related Majors

• Public Administration & Social Service
• Legal Professions

Careers That Parks & Rec Grads May Go Into

A degree in parks and rec can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for TX, the home state for Southern Methodist University.

Occupation	Jobs in TX	Average Salary in TX
General and Operations Managers	195,730	$125,870
Managers	20,710	$122,130
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors	19,450	$38,650
Coaches and Scouts	13,270	$51,800
Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Supervisors	6,120	$47,900

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Jeffrey Beall under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.