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2023 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools

115 Colleges
$31,423 Avg Salary
$24,388 Avg Student Debt

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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

#1

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

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 fairly large public school located in the large 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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Out of the 115 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the # 2 spot on the list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the 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.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Public University System Report

#3

Bryan University

Tempe, AZ

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bryan University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools 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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#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

The excellent online programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college 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.

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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students pursuing an online degree. UNCW is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNCW carry an average student debtload of $22,750.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Wilmington

#6

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

With a ranking of #6, Grand Canyon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large 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.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grand Canyon University Report

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College 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. 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 landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. ISSA is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Carpinteria.

Parks & Rec majors at ISSA take out an average of $17,163 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at International Sports Sciences Association

#8

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

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 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. UNC Pembroke is a moderately-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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#11

Monroe College

Bronx, NY

Monroe College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Bronx, Monroe College is a private for-profit college with a moderately-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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#12

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL

University of North Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. 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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Florida

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 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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#14

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty 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 #14 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly 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.

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

Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #15 on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a very 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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#16

Eastern Oregon University

La Grande, OR

Eastern Oregon University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools ranking. EOU is a small public school located in the remote town of La Grande.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at EOU take out is $25,000.

Read More…

With a ranking of #17, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a moderately-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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California University of Pennsylvania

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
23 Cameron University Lawton, OK

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

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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