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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

20 Colleges
$28,979 Avg Salary
$24,973 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Illinois with 2,396 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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 20 schools in Illinois 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 Illinois

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 Illinois State University to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Illinois State University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

#3

North Park University

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Park University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, North Park is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Park University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of St Francis. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.

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#5

North Central College

Naperville, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Central College is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Naperville.

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#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Illinois University Report

#7

Monmouth College

Monmouth, IL

Monmouth College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the distant town of Monmouth, Monmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Benedictine University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lisle.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Benedictine University

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#10

Quincy University

Quincy, IL

Quincy University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Quincy U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Quincy.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Quincy University Report

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Wisconsin 1,001

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 20 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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