2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #14 most popular major in California with 11,237 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 33 schools in California to see which bachelor's 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Out of the 33 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Westmont College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Westmont is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
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University of the Pacific did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Stockton.
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With a ranking of #7, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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California Baptist University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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California State University - East Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
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National University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
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Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 673 |
| Oregon | 629 |
| Hawaii | 171 |
| Nevada | 273 |
| Alaska | 35 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in California
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 25 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.