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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools

9 Colleges
$26,246 Avg Salary
$15,794 Avg Student Debt

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 analysis found International Sports Sciences Association to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. ISSA is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Carpinteria.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at International Sports Sciences Association Report

Out of the 9 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Findlay landed the # 2 spot on the list. Findlay is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Findlay.

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#3

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of the Cumberlands is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of the Cumberlands Report

#4

Bob Jones University

Greenville, SC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bob Jones University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Greenville, Bob Jones University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bob Jones University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mt. San Antonio College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mt. San Antonio College

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 fairly 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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#8

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

South Texas College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools list. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of McAllen.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Texas College Report

#9

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

With a ranking of #9, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

Parks, 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

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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