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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

16 Colleges
$28,183 Avg Salary
$28,553 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 16 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 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. Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UARK take out $22,630 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#2

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, WV

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Shepherd University is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. 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 is $23,184. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $224, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia College & State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the distant town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#4

Radford University

Radford, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Radford is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Radford carry an average student debtload of $26,239. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $166.

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#5

Newberry College

Newberry, SC

Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Newberry College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Newberry, Newberry College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#6

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

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

On average, parks and rec graduates from GaSou take out $28,731 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $141, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN

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

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#8

North Greenville University

Tigerville, SC

North Greenville University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the rural area of Tigerville, North Greenville is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at ECU take out is $20,451.

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

On average, parks and rec graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $25,599 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $107, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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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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