2023 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned a degree or certificate in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the #15 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 115 schools in the United States to see which online programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
2023 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Memphis the most popular online school in the United States for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UofM is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis.
On average, parks and rec graduates from UofM take out $28,671 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $176, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at American Military University accumulate an average of around $21,148 in student debt.
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Out of the 115 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bryan University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Bryan University is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Bryan University accumulate an average of around $16,223 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UF take out is $17,586. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $239, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. UNCW is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Wilmington.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNCW carry an average student debtload of $22,750.
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Grand Canyon University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Grand Canyon University accumulate an average of around $26,999 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $233, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Louisiana State University carry an average student debtload of $22,890. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $517, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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International Sports Sciences Association 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. ISSA is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Carpinteria.
Parks & Rec majors at ISSA take out an average of $17,163 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Kansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. KU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Lawrence.
On average, parks and rec graduates from KU take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $454.
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University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. UNC Pembroke is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Pembroke.
Parks & Rec majors at UNC Pembroke take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $129, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Monroe College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Located in the city of Bronx, Monroe College is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, parks and rec graduates from Monroe College take out $14,010 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $125, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Florida landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Jacksonville, UNF is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, parks and rec graduates from UNF take out $17,200 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Southern New Hampshire University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from SNHU carry an average student debtload of $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 $289.
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Liberty University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Liberty University accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $435.
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Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the city of College Station.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Texas A&M College Station carry an average student debtload of $19,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $345, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Eastern Oregon 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 #16 on the list. EOU is a small public school located in the town of La Grande.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at EOU take out is $25,000.
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California University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the small suburb of California, Cal U is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, parks and rec graduates from Cal U take out $32,130 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $169.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 19 | Brigham Young University - Idaho | Rexburg, ID |
| 20 | University of Florida-Online | Gainesville, FL |
| 21 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 22 | School Removed | |
| 23 | Cameron University | Lawton, OK |
Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings
Majors Related to 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 26 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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