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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York

24 Colleges
$33,338 Avg Salary
$21,820 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #22 most popular major in New York with 2,477 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 New York ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in New York 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 New York

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

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 New York. Located in the large city of New York, FPTI is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from FPTI carry an average student debtload of $7,355.

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The excellent programs at Columbia University in the City of New York helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New York. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

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#3

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Syracuse University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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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The excellent programs at St. Joseph’s College - New York helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New York. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, SJC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Parks & Rec majors at SJC take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#5

St. John Fisher College

Rochester, NY

The excellent programs at St. John Fisher College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New York. Fisher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester.

Parks & Rec majors at Fisher take out an average of $25,125 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

With a ranking of #6, Ithaca College did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Ithaca is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Ithaca.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Ithaca take out is $24,100.

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#7

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, NY

Farmingdale State College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. Located in the large suburb of Farmingdale, SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale take out $25,966 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#8

Manhattanville College

Purchase, NY

With a ranking of #8, Manhattanville College did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Purchase, Manhattanville is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

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#9

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

SUNY Cortland came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.

On average, parks and rec graduates from SUNY Cortland take out $25,974 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $301, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Canisius College

Buffalo, NY

Canisius College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Canisius take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $345.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Canisius College Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 1,047
Pennsylvania 2,734
Maryland 832
Delaware 342
District of Columbia 319

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

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 24 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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