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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma

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

15 Colleges
$31,830 Avg Salary
$23,136 Avg Student Debt

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

With 1,179 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #12 most popular major in Oklahoma.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

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 Oklahoma ranking. This report analyzed 15 schools in Oklahoma to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

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 Northwestern Oklahoma State University the best school in Oklahoma for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. NWOSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Alva.

On average, parks and rec graduates from NWOSU take out $20,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwestern Oklahoma State University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma Panhandle State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma list. OPSU is a small public school located in the rural area of Goodwell.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from OPSU carry an average student debtload of $25,985.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Oklahoma Panhandle State University Report

The excellent programs at Southwestern Oklahoma State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Oklahoma. SWOSU is a small public school located in the town of Weatherford.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at SWOSU take out is $22,005.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southwestern Oklahoma State University

#4

Cameron University

Lawton, OK

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cameron University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma list. Cameron University is a small public school located in the city of Lawton.

Parks & Rec majors at Cameron University take out an average of $24,375 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cameron University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma list. University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Norman.

Parks & Rec majors at University of Oklahoma take out an average of $24,125 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 $585.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Report

University of Central Oklahoma did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Edmond, UCO is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UCO carry an average student debtload of $22,027.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Central Oklahoma Report

Southern Nazarene 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. SNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bethany.

On average, parks and rec graduates from SNU take out $26,699 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Nazarene University

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma ranking. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from OSU carry an average student debtload of $22,206.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oklahoma ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Durant.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Northeastern 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 #10 on the list. NSU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Tahlequah.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from NSU carry an average student debtload of $19,041.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northeastern State University

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 1,071
Texas 7,380
New Mexico 141

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 15 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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