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

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

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in Iowa. With 1,491 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 8th out of all the majors we track in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 13 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

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

#1

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Simpson College the best school in Iowa for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Indianola.

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#2

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Cornell College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Iowa. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Mount Vernon.

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#3

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.

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#4

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

Out of the 13 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

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#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

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#6

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

University of Northern Iowa came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

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#7

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA

Wartburg 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 #7 on the list. Wartburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Waverly.

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#8

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

Buena Vista University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Storm Lake.

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#9

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

Saint Ambrose University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. St. Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Davenport.

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#10

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, IA

University of Dubuque landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Dubuque, UD is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
Minnesota 1,139
South Dakota 342
Missouri 1,342
Nebraska 429
North Dakota 266

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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