2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 972 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's 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.
2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our analysis found University of Iowa to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City.
Of the 608 students majoring in parks and rec at Iowa, 41% are male and 59% are female.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.
Women make up 50% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Texas State is a very large public school located in the small city of San Marcos.
About 57% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 43% are male.
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Out of the 972 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 51% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 49% are male.
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Out of the 972 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the # 5 spot on the list. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.
Of the 492 students majoring in parks and rec at UofM, 28% are male and 72% are female.
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Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
Of the 474 students majoring in parks and rec at Texas A&M College Station, 46% are male and 54% are female.
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With a ranking of #7, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
Women make up 32% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of San Antonio, UTSA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 60% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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California State University - Northridge came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.
About 44% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 56% are male.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Houston did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UH is a very large public school located in the city of Houston.
About 57% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 43% are male.
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San Diego State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
About 57% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 43% are male.
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With a ranking of #12, Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public school located in the small city of New Brunswick.
Women make up 53% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #13, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
Of the 411 students majoring in parks and rec at Michigan State, 29% are male and 71% are female.
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With a ranking of #14, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
Of the 396 students majoring in parks and rec at Sac State, 49% are male and 51% are female.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 60% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
Women make up 48% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 57% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Utah did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. U of U is a very large public school located in the city of Salt Lake City.
Of the 362 students majoring in parks and rec at U of U, 44% are male and 56% are female.
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 352 students majoring in parks and rec at UT Knoxville, 36% are male and 64% are female.
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Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public school with a fairly large student population.
About 57% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 43% are male.
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With a ranking of #21, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
About 52% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 48% are male.
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University of North Texas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. UNT is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denton.
Of the 322 students majoring in parks and rec at UNT, 51% are male and 49% are female.
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With a ranking of #23, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a large student population.
Of the 311 students majoring in parks and rec at Chico State, 42% are male and 58% are female.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public school with a very large student population.
About 56% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 44% are male.
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California State University - Fresno ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno.
About 57% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 43% are male.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 972 different United States parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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 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.
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