2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest 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. 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.
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 the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 64 schools in the Southwest 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.
2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest 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 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Rice University the best school in the Southwest Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Methodist University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northwestern Oklahoma State University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Alva, NWOSU is a public school with a small student population.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwestern Oklahoma State University Report
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Out of the 64 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Grand Canyon 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 #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.
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Lubbock Christian 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 #8 on the list. LCU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lubbock.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lubbock Christian University Report
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University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. UH Clear Lake is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Houston.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Houston - Clear Lake Report
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With a ranking of #10, Tarleton State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Tarleton is a large public school located in the town of Stephenville.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Tarleton State University Report
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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 Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX |
| 12 | Saint Edward’s University | Austin, TX |
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,071 |
| Texas | 7,380 |
| New Mexico | 141 |
| Oklahoma | 1,179 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Southwest 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.