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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

11 Colleges
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You

With 3,436 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #11 most popular major in North Carolina.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 11 schools in North Carolina 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina State University the best school in North Carolina for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

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#3

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Wake Forest University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at Western Carolina University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in North Carolina. WCU is a large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

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With a ranking of #6, Appalachian State 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 distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.

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#7

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC

Gardner - Webb University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Boiling Springs.

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#8

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina 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 #8 on the list. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.

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Lenoir - Rhyne University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Hickory, Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#10

Wingate University

Wingate, NC

Wingate University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wingate.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 1,238
Mississippi 1,128
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Virginia 1,729
Arkansas 1,012
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703

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 11 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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