2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 133 schools in the Middle Atlantic 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.
2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 15% Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Rutgers University - New Brunswick the most popular school in the Middle Atlantic Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public school with a fairly large student population.
About 53% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 47% are male.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Cortland. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the distant town of Cortland, SUNY Cortland is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Women make up 32% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Towson University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the small city of Towson, Towson is a public college 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 Towson University
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 64% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Maryland - College Park Report
Request Information
The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Temple University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 39% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Temple University Report
Request Information
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 66% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
University of Delaware came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. UD is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark.
About 53% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 47% are male.
Request Information
The College at Brockport came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the town of Brockport, SUNY Brockport is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Women make up 38% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The College at Brockport Report
Request Information
Syracuse University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.
Women make up 27% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Syracuse University
Request Information
Montclair State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Montclair State is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Montclair.
About 51% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 49% are male.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Montclair State University Report
Request Information
Salisbury University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Salisbury is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Salisbury.
Women make up 50% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Salisbury University
Request Information
St John’s University - New York ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Queens, STJ is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Women make up 17% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St John’s University - New York Report
Request Information
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. East Stroudsburg University is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of East Stroudsburg.
Women make up 36% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
With a ranking of #14, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Kutztown.
About 24% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 76% are male.
Request Information
With a ranking of #14, William Paterson University of New Jersey 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 large suburb of Wayne, William Paterson University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Women make up 35% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
California University of Pennsylvania came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Cal U is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of California.
Of the 94 students majoring in parks and rec at Cal U, 68% are male and 32% are female.
Request Information
Lehman College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Lehman is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Bronx.
About 48% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 52% are male.
Request Information
Howard University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Washington, Howard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 68% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Howard University Report
Request Information
SUNY Oswego landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Oswego, SUNY Oswego is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Of the 90 students majoring in parks and rec at SUNY Oswego, 39% are male and 61% are female.
Request InformationHonorable Mentions
Here are some additional popular schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA |
| 21 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 22 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 23 | Lock Haven University | Lock Haven, PA |
| 24 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 25 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 26 | Canisius College | Buffalo, NY |
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1,047 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,734 |
| New York | 2,477 |
| Maryland | 832 |
| Delaware | 342 |
| District of Columbia | 319 |
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Majors
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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.