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

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

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

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

With 1,729 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #18 most popular major in Virginia.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Virginia 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.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia

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 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in Virginia for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

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#3

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Shenandoah University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Virginia. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winchester.

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

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means George Mason University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

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

#5

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

Out of the 13 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the # 5 spot on the list. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

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#6

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

Bridgewater College 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. Located in the suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bridgewater College

#7

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the city of Norfolk.

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#8

Roanoke College

Salem, VA

Roanoke College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Roanoke College Report

#9

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#10

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty 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. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

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

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Arkansas 1,012
Mississippi 1,128
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981

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

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 13 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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