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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

152 Colleges
$15,201 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,979 Avg Salary

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.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 152 schools in the Southeast 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found American Public University System to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at American Military University are $7,360 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, American Military University also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNC Pembroke are $7,495 a year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCU are $8,367 a year.

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#4

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Florida-Online. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF Online is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

UF Online undergraduate students pay an average of $16,579 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UF Online also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means United States Sports Academy is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. The Academy is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Daphne.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Academy are $17,424 per year.

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#6

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

With a ranking of #6, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cumberlands is a large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cumberlands are $9,875 a year.

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Mississippi University for Women landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. MUW is a small public school located in the remote town of Columbus.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MUW are $7,756 a year.

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Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at A-State are $12,698 a year.

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#9

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UofM are $14,088 per year.

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University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNCW are $21,303 a year.

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#11

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

Henderson State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Henderson State University is a small public school located in the town of Arkadelphia.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Henderson State University are $9,768 a year.

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#12

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, MS

William Carey University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. William Carey University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Hattiesburg.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William Carey University are $14,550 per year.

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Florida International University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FIU are $18,963 per year.

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#14

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL

University of North Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. UNF is a large public school located in the large city of Jacksonville.

UNF undergraduate students pay an average of $19,407 in tuition and fees each year.

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University of Southern Mississippi landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public school with a large student population.

Southern Miss undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in tuition and fees each year.

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#16

Louisiana College

Pineville, LA

With a ranking of #16, Louisiana College 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 suburb of Pineville, Louisiana College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Louisiana College undergraduate students pay an average of $17,950 in tuition and fees each year.

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#17

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UF is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.

UF undergraduate students pay an average of $28,659 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UF also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#18

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR

Arkansas Tech University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the remote town of Russellville, ATU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ATU are $13,636 a year.

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#19

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, TN

East Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ETSU are $12,740 a year.

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#20

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

Georgia Southern University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public college with a very large student population.

GaSou undergraduate students pay an average of $17,539 in tuition and fees each year.

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#21

Martin Methodist College

Pulaski, TN

With a ranking of #21, Martin Methodist College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Martin Methodist is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Pulaski.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Martin Methodist are $10,200 per year.

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The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the town of Martin, UT Martin is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

UT Martin undergraduate students pay an average of $15,952 in tuition and fees each year.

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
23 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
24 Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN
25 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
25 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
25 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
28 Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV
29 Morehead State University Morehead, KY
30 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
Mississippi 1,128
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Virginia 1,729
Arkansas 1,012
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703

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 27 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.

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