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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

11 Colleges
$37,222 Avg Salary
$17,096 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, 668 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation and leisure studies students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #111 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $18,356. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $272.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State University

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a very large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Sac State take out an average of $20,097 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at CSULB take out is $15,750.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach Report

Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the # 5 spot on the list. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chico.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Chico State take out is $18,402.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico Report

California State University - East Bay came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cal State East Bay carry an average student debtload of $15,668.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - East Bay

California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a very large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Fresno State take out an average of $14,007 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Fresno

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $17,841.

Read More…

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,648 in student debt.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Francisco State University

California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Northridge

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 58
Oregon 41
Nevada 0
Alaska 7

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

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 11 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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