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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

48 Colleges
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree 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 Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best master'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 Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the parks and rec master'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 Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the best school in the Great Lakes Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

The excellent master’s degree programs at Northwestern University 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 . Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwestern University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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A rank of #4 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 master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Grace College and Theological Seminary. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Grace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona Lake.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary

#6

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

Valparaiso University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valparaiso.

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

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.

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Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus Report

#9

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

With a ranking of #9, Ashland University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ashland University

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #10 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

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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