2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 71 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our analysis found Focus Personal Training Institute to be the best school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . FPTI is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from FPTI carry an average student debtload of $7,355.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Focus Personal Training Institute Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia University in the City of New York is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Syracuse University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.
Parks & Rec majors at Syracuse take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $555, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Seton Hall University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Seton Hall accumulate an average of around $24,125 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at McDaniel College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the suburb of Westminster, McDaniel is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at McDaniel accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, St. Joseph’s College - New York did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. SJC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Brooklyn.
Parks & Rec majors at SJC take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #7, Georgetown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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St. John Fisher College 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. Located in the suburb of Rochester, Fisher is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Parks & Rec majors at Fisher take out an average of $25,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St. John Fisher College Report
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Robert Morris University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. RMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Moon Township.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from RMU carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Robert Morris University
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania 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. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Slippery Rock.
On average, parks and rec graduates from SRU take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.
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Here are some additional great schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 12 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 13 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 14 | Howard University | Washington, DC |
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 Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1,047 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,734 |
| New York | 2,477 |
| Maryland | 832 |
| Delaware | 342 |
| District of Columbia | 319 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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.