2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned a degree or certificate in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the #15 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the parks and rec associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top Schools for an Associate in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our 2023 rankings named International Sports Sciences Association the best school in the United States for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. ISSA is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Carpinteria.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Findlay. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools list. Findlay is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Findlay.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of the Cumberlands. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Bob Jones University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Located in the city of Greenville, Bob Jones University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Mt. San Antonio College is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mt. San Antonio College Report
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With a ranking of #6, Utah Valley University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. UVU is a very large public school located in the city of Orem.
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Webber International University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Webber International University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Babson Park.
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South Texas College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the city of McAllen.
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Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Request InformationParks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Parks & Rec
Parks & Rec Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 67,146 |
| Recreation Administration | 3,122 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 3,106 |
| Outdoor Education | 265 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 174 |
Majors Similar to Parks & Rec
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 142,610 |
| Public Administration & Social Service | 98,583 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 9 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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