2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 152 schools in the Southeast Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Check out the parks and rec bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found American Public University System to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Public University System Report
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Florida is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UF is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . Clemson is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Clemson.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Clemson University Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Citadel Military College of South Carolina helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Charleston, The Citadel is a public school with a small student population.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a very large student population.
Emory University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.
James Madison University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at James Madison University
University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of South Carolina - Columbia Report
University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public college with a fairly large student population.
North Carolina State University 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 #10 on the list. NC State is a very large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina State University Report
Shenandoah University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shenandoah University
George Mason University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at George Mason University Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Florida-Online 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 city of Gainesville, UF Online is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida-Online Report
United States Sports Academy ranked #14 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. The Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Daphne.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at United States Sports Academy
Florida International University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public school with a very large student population.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
University of North Florida landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UNF is a large public school located in the large city of Jacksonville.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Florida Report
With a ranking of #18, William & Mary 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 suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William & Mary Report
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Louisiana State University is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge.
Bridgewater College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bridgewater.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bridgewater College Report
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Charlotte, JWU Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Louisiana College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small suburb of Pineville, Louisiana College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Louisiana College
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 24 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 25 | Augusta University | Augusta, GA |
| 26 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 27 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 28 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 29 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 30 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 3,436 |
| West Virginia | 1,238 |
| South Carolina | 1,339 |
| Florida | 2,340 |
| Virginia | 1,729 |
| Arkansas | 1,012 |
| Mississippi | 1,128 |
| Louisiana | 703 |
| Alabama | 959 |
| Kentucky | 1,141 |
| Georgia | 1,981 |
| Tennessee | 2,462 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Southeast Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
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