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Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

19 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.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found Indiana University - Bloomington to be the most popular school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 78% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 22% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debt load of $18,947. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $478, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

Women make up 38% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Parks & Rec majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,274 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $226, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

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The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the fringe town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 87% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $513, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 19 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public school located in the town of Athens.

Women make up 46% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

On average, parks and rec graduates from OHIO Athens take out $23,277 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus Report

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 18 students majoring in parks and rec at SIUC, 50% are male and 50% are female.

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Northern Michigan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Marquette.

About 50% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 50% are male.

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#7

Central State University

Wilberforce, OH

Central State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Central State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Wilberforce.

About 29% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 71% are male.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Central State University Report

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#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.

Of the 6 students majoring in parks and rec at Olivet Nazarene, 67% are male and 33% are female.

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#9

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

With a ranking of #9, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 25% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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Indiana Institute of Technology ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fort Wayne.

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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 16
Ohio 101
Illinois 196
Indiana 161

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 19 schools only.

  • 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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