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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

80 Colleges
$32,191 Avg Salary
$25,844 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #15 in the country. In fact 73,813 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 80 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Our analysis found University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $17,507. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $531.

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The excellent programs at Indiana University - Bloomington helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at IU Bloomington take out is $20,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $437, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Wilmington College

Wilmington, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wilmington College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Wilmington, Wilmington College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Wilmington College take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $502.

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#4

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

Out of the 80 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Dayton landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UDayton accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $307.

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Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Illinois State take out $23,124 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $230.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UW - Madison take out is $25,787.

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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the small city of La Crosse.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debtload of $24,483. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.

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Baldwin Wallace University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Berea.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Baldwin Wallace College take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $345.

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Grace College and Theological Seminary came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Grace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona Lake.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Grace College accumulate an average of around $25,750 in student debt.

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#11

Otterbein University

Westerville, OH

With a ranking of #11, Otterbein University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Westerville, Otterbein is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Otterbein take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Ohio State carry an average student debtload of $24,408. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $376.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
14 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
15 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN
16 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Illinois 2,396
Wisconsin 1,001

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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