2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned a degree or certificate in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the #15 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 51 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs 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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the parks and rec doctor'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 Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Clemson University to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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The excellent doctor’s degree programs at United States Sports Academy helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Located in the city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the city of College Station.
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Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.
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University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UofSC is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
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University of Northern Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.
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Iowa State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a very large student population.
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Request InformationParks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Parks & Rec
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 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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