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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts

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

14 Colleges
$33,408 Avg Salary
$25,263 Avg Student Debt

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

With 1,195 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #20 most popular major in Massachusetts.

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 Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Massachusetts

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 2023 rankings named University of Massachusetts Amherst the best school in Massachusetts for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Amherst.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UMass Amherst take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $543.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeastern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

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

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#4

Endicott College

Beverly, MA

Out of the 14 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Endicott College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Endicott is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Beverly.

Parks & Rec majors at Endicott take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $470.

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#5

Springfield College

Springfield, MA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Springfield College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. Springfield College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Springfield College take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $435.

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#6

Gordon College

Wenham, MA

Gordon College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the large suburb of Wenham, Gordon College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Boston.

Parks & Rec majors at UMass Boston take out an average of $25,713 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#8

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA

Westfield State 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 #8 on the list. Westfield is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Westfield.

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

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Salem State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the large suburb of Salem, Salem State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Salem State 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 $220, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA

Fitchburg State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Fitchburg State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 569
Maine 200
Rhode Island 291
Connecticut 332
Vermont 165

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 14 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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