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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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

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

With 1,729 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #18 most popular major in Virginia.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Virginia 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 Virginia.

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the most popular school in Virginia for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 292 students majoring in parks and rec at JMU, 60% are male and 40% are female.

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#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Out of the 22 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

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

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#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.

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

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William & Mary

#4

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

About 47% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 53% are male.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Women make up 81% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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#6

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

With a ranking of #6, George Mason 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. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

Women make up 43% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at George Mason University Report

#7

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

With a ranking of #7, Hampton 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. Located in the medium-sized city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 54 students majoring in parks and rec at Hampton, 31% are male and 69% are female.

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

#8

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

Bridgewater College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 46 students majoring in parks and rec at Bridgewater, 33% are male and 67% are female.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bridgewater College Report

#9

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 64% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 36% are male.

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

#10

Roanoke College

Salem, VA

Roanoke College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

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

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Arkansas 1,012
Mississippi 1,128
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981

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

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 22 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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