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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania

25 Colleges
$31,681 Avg Salary
$27,043 Avg Student Debt

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

With 2,734 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #15 most popular major in Pennsylvania.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

#1

Robert Morris University

Moon Township, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Robert Morris University the best school in Pennsylvania for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. RMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Moon Township.

On average, parks and rec graduates from RMU take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania list. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SRU accumulate an average of around $26,500 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $375, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drexel University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Drexel take out $29,667 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#4

Cabrini University

Radnor, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrini University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania list. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Radnor.

Parks & Rec majors at Cabrini University take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Out of the 25 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, York College of Pennsylvania landed the # 5 spot on the list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of York.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from YCP carry an average student debtload of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $628.

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West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#7

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

Temple University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Temple take out is $26,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $384.

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Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the small city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Bloomsburg accumulate an average of around $26,875 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $368, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#9

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA

Lock Haven University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the town of Lock Haven, LHU is a public college with a small student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from LHU take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $254.

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With a ranking of #10, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of California.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Cal U take out is $32,130. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $169.

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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
New York 2,477
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 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.

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