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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools

36 Colleges

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 36 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named American Public University System the best school in the United States for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Public University System Report

Out of the 36 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Winona State University Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. The Citadel is a small public school located in the city of Charleston.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools list. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

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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 #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina State University Report

#6

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools list. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

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

#7

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

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

#8

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

With a ranking of #8, Clemson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a very large student population.

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

#9

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

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#10

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida Report

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region

View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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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