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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

13 Colleges
$26,246 Avg Salary
$15,794 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Illinois with 2,396 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Illinois to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies program at each school on the list.

Check out the parks and rec associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

#1

Frontier Community College

Fairfield, IL

Our analysis found Frontier Community College to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in Illinois. Located in the remote town of Fairfield, Frontier Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Frontier Community College

#2

Lincoln Trail College

Robinson, IL

The in-demand associate degree programs at Lincoln Trail College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Illinois. Located in the rural area of Robinson, Lincoln Trail College is a public college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 6 students majoring in parks and rec at Lincoln Trail College, 83% are male and 17% are female.

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#3

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, IL

Out of the 13 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, McHenry County College landed the # 3 spot on the list. MCC is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Crystal Lake.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at McHenry County College

#3

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Lake County. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. College of Lake County is a large public school located in the suburb of Grayslake.

Women make up 80% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at College of Lake County Report

#5

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 13 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Roosevelt University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lewis and Clark Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Godfrey, Lewis and Clark Community College is a public school with a small student population.

About 75% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 25% are male.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lewis and Clark Community College

Moraine Valley Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Palos Hills, MVCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Moraine Valley Community College

#7

Wabash Valley College

Mount Carmel, IL

Wabash Valley College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Wabash Valley College is a small public school located in the distant town of Mount Carmel.

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#9

Prairie State College

Chicago Heights, IL

Prairie State College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Prairie State College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Chicago Heights.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Prairie State College Report

#9

Rock Valley College

Rockford, IL

With a ranking of #9, Rock Valley College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Rockford, Rock Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Rock Valley College

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

Explore all the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Wisconsin 1,001

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 13 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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