2026 Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies graduate certificate degree programs in the United States? Our ranking highlights 152 schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
So you can compare your options, Course Advisor analyzed schools to compile this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Explore the leading schools below:
Leading the list is California State University Long Beach, our #1 Parks Recreation Leisure Studies school in the United States. Based in Long Beach, CA, California State University Long Beach is a public institution. About 69% of students finish within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,374, while out-of-state students pay about $19,974. Graduates carry a median of $14,500 in student loans. More on California State University Long Beach
The strong Parks Recreation Leisure Studies programs at Ohio University Eastern Campus earned it the #2 place in the United States. Read the full report on Ohio University Eastern Campus
The strong Parks Recreation Leisure Studies programs at Atlanta Technical College earned it the #3 place in the United States. Get the full Atlanta Technical College report
The strong Parks Recreation Leisure Studies programs at Ouachita Baptist University earned it the #4 place in the United States. See the full Ouachita Baptist University profile
A rank of #5 makes Montana State University Billings one of the top choices in the United States. More on Montana State University Billings
Ferrum College landed the #6 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Ferrum College report
Emporia State University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full Emporia State University report
Suny College At Plattsburgh placed #8 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Get the full Suny College At Plattsburgh report
East Mississippi Community College landed the #9 spot in the United States this year. More on East Mississippi Community College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Ithaca College
Springfield College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. See the full Springfield College profile
Sierra College
Sierra College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Sierra College
Concordia University Wisconsin did well this year, earning the #13 position. Read more about Concordia University Wisconsin
Messiah College
Messiah College placed #14 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Messiah College
California State University East Bay landed the #15 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on California State University East Bay
University Of Nebraska At Omaha came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Read more about University Of Nebraska At Omaha
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. More on California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Western Michigan University placed #18 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Western Michigan University
University Of Alaska Southeast came in at #19 in this year's ranking. See the full University Of Alaska Southeast profile
Indiana Institute Of Technology ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Indiana Institute Of Technology
Frederick Community College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Frederick Community College
Western State College Of Colorado ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Western State College Of Colorado
Baker University
Baker University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Read the full report on Baker University
Ohio University Main Campus did well this year, earning the #24 position. Get the full Ohio University Main Campus report
University Of Nebraska At Kearney came in at #25 in this year's ranking. More on University Of Nebraska At Kearney
Rest of the Top 50 Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also made the top of the list:
Garrett College
Garrett College came in at #26 in this year's ranking. Read more about Garrett College
Carson Newman College placed #27 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. More on Carson Newman College
Palomar College
Palomar College landed the #28 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Palomar College report
Lake Tahoe Community College came in at #29 in this year's ranking. Get the full Lake Tahoe Community College report
Alaska Pacific University did well this year, earning the #30 position. See the full Alaska Pacific University profile
Corning Community College landed the #31 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Corning Community College
Benedict College
Benedict College landed the #32 spot in the United States this year. See the full Benedict College profile
Red Rocks Community College ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Red Rocks Community College
College Of The Canyons came in at #34 in this year's ranking. More on College Of The Canyons
Fresno City College ranked #35 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on Fresno City College
Gallaudet University came in at #36 in this year's ranking. Read more about Gallaudet University
San Francisco State University did well this year, earning the #37 position. See the full San Francisco State University profile
Cuny Kingsborough Community College placed #38 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. See the full Cuny Kingsborough Community College profile
Cypress College
Cypress College did well this year, earning the #39 position. See the full Cypress College profile
Tompkins Cortland Community College came in at #40 in this year's ranking. Get the full Tompkins Cortland Community College report
Northwest Missouri State University ranked #41 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. More on Northwest Missouri State University
Ohio University Chillicothe Campus placed #42 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Ohio University Chillicothe Campus
William Jewell College placed #43 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on William Jewell College
California State University Dominguez Hills ranked #44 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. See the full California State University Dominguez Hills profile
Gwinnett Technical College ranked #45 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full Gwinnett Technical College report
Mount Olive College landed the #46 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Mount Olive College
University Of Missouri Columbia ranked #47 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full University Of Missouri Columbia report
North Greenville University came in at #48 in this year's ranking. More on North Greenville University
California State University Northridge came in at #49 in this year's ranking. See the full California State University Northridge profile
Texas A And M University College Station came in at #50 in this year's ranking. More on Texas A And M University College Station
Related Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Rankings
Compare rankings at other degree levels:
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Schools (All Levels)
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
The ranking above is published by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 152 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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