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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 2023 rankings named Focus Personal Training Institute the best school in New York for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

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#3

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

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 New York list. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit school 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. Joseph’s College - New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the city of Brooklyn, SJC is a private not-for-profit college 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

Out of the 24 schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, St. John Fisher College landed the # 5 spot on the list. 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

Ithaca College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. Ithaca is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the 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 landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the suburb of Farmingdale, SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a public college 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

Manhattanville College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the suburb of Purchase, Manhattanville is a private not-for-profit college 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. SUNY Cortland is a medium-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 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. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit school 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 Colleges 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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