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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

16 Colleges
$31,256 Avg Salary
$23,333 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the #169 most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 16 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

Our 2023 rankings named University of Arkansas the best school in the Southeast Region for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec majors at UARK accumulate an average of around $21,792 in student debt.

Read More…

#2

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, WV

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Shepherd University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Shepherd University is a small public school located in the town of Shepherdstown.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Shepherd University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,306. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $224, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia College & State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia College & State University Report

#4

Radford University

Radford, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Radford take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,348. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $166.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Radford University Report

#5

Newberry College

Newberry, SC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Newberry College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Newberry, Newberry College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Newberry College

#6

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

Georgia Southern University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the distant town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public school with a very large student population.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $141, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia Southern University

#7

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN

Carson - Newman University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Jefferson City.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Carson - Newman University

#8

North Greenville University

Tigerville, SC

North Greenville University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Tigerville, North Greenville is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at North Greenville University Report

#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation and leisure studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at East Carolina University Report

University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greensboro.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from UNC Greensboro carry an average student debtload of $25,505. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $107, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 77
Virginia 74
North Carolina 125
Florida 0
Tennessee 3
Kentucky 3
South Carolina 13
Louisiana 25
Arkansas 80
Alabama 65
Mississippi 45
West Virginia 27

One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Recreation Administration 3,122
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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