2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Illinois with 2,396 degrees and certificates awarded 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Illinois 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 Illinois
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 Illinois for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
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Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central College landed the # 3 spot on the list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Naperville.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Concordia University, Chicago. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago Report
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Aurora University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aurora.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
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Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
Request InformationBest 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 |
| Ohio | 2,647 |
| Wisconsin | 1,001 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in Illinois
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 12 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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