2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 52 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in tuition and fees each year.
National University also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Far Western US Region . Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 52 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $18,875 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - East Bay Report
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California State University - Sacramento came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $19,272 per year.
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California State University - San Marcos ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CSUSM are $19,607 a year.
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California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $18,856 per year.
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Sonoma State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $19,868 per year.
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With a ranking of #10, Eastern Washington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Cheney, EWU is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EWU are $25,748 per year.
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Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 11,237 |
| Washington | 673 |
| Oregon | 629 |
| Hawaii | 171 |
| Nevada | 273 |
| Alaska | 35 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Majors for Parks & Rec
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 |
Majors Similar to Parks & Rec
| 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.
- 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.