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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

165 Colleges
$28,979 Avg Salary
$24,973 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #15 in the country. In fact 73,813 degrees and certificates were handed out 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.

The Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 165 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.

Check out the parks and rec bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Great Lakes Region .

Our analysis found Indiana University - Bloomington to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

Women make up 50% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

#2

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Michigan State is a very 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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Out of the 165 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 42% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Miami University - Oxford

Out of the 165 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a very 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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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 274 students majoring in parks and rec at U-M, 52% are male and 48% are female.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

#6

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.

About 55% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 45% are male.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 44% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the city of La Crosse.

Of the 214 students majoring in parks and rec at UW - La Crosse, 53% are male and 47% are female.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Report

Ohio State University - Main Campus 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 #9 on the list. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a very large student population.

About 31% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 69% are male.

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Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. BGSU is a fairly large public school located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.

Of the 186 students majoring in parks and rec at BGSU, 48% are male and 52% are female.

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Illinois State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

About 49% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 51% are male.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 52% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 25% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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University of Wisconsin - Madison 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 #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 73% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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#15

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

With a ranking of #15, Purdue University - Main Campus 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 West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 67% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 33% are male.

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#16

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University 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 #16 on the list. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 54% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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#17

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN

Indiana State University 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 #17 on the list. Indiana State is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Terre Haute.

About 43% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 57% are male.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana State University Report

#18

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI

Western Michigan University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. WMU is a large public school located in the city of Kalamazoo.

Of the 114 students majoring in parks and rec at WMU, 58% are male and 42% are female.

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With a ranking of #19, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public college with a very large student population.

About 58% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 42% are male.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Report

Kent State University at Kent 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. Kent State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Kent.

Of the 111 students majoring in parks and rec at Kent State, 59% are male and 41% are female.

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

#21

Carroll University

Waukesha, WI

Carroll University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carroll U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waukesha.

Women make up 64% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Carroll University Report

#22

University of Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN

University of Indianapolis landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Indianapolis, UIndy is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 102 students majoring in parks and rec at UIndy, 40% are male and 60% are female.

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With a ranking of #23, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

About 42% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 58% are male.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#24

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI

Eastern Michigan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.

Of the 97 students majoring in parks and rec at Eastern Michigan, 58% are male and 42% are female.

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
25 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
26 Concordia University, Chicago River Forest, IL
27 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
28 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
29 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
30 Trine University Angola, IN
31 Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
32 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
32 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL

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

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Illinois 2,396
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 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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