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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio

27 Colleges
$32,054 Avg Salary
$26,411 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 2,647 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Ohio college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 27 schools in Ohio to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Ohio

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

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

#1

Wilmington College

Wilmington, OH

Our analysis found Wilmington College to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Ohio. Located in the distant town of Wilmington, Wilmington College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Wilmington College accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $502, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Dayton. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio list. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UDayton carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Baldwin Wallace University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio list. Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Berea.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Baldwin Wallace College take out $27,000 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 $345.

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#4

Otterbein University

Westerville, OH

The excellent programs at Otterbein University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Ohio. Located in the large suburb of Westerville, Otterbein is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Otterbein accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio list. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Ohio State take out is $24,408. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $376.

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#6

Xavier University

Cincinnati, OH

Xavier 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. Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cincinnati.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Xavier accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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#7

John Carroll University

University Heights, OH

With a ranking of #7, John Carroll University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from John Carroll take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $358, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Miami University - Oxford landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Miami University - Oxford take out is $24,876. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $544.

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#9

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

Ashland 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 #9 on the list. Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Ashland take out is $27,000.

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Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from OHIO Athens take out $25,250 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $443, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
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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