2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor'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.
The Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 66 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs 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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a doctor's degree.
Top 10 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Chicago the most popular school in the United States for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their doctor’s degree. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.
Of the 32 students majoring in parks and rec at Concordia University, Chicago, 59% are male and 41% are female.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Chicago Report
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The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Greensboro 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 United States. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public school with a fairly large student population.
About 65% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 35% are male.
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The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of Western States helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Portland, Western States Chiropractic College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 20 students majoring in parks and rec at Western States Chiropractic College, 60% are male and 40% are female.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means United States Sports Academy is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the small city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Women make up 40% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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Out of the 66 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the # 5 spot on the list. UH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston.
Of the 13 students majoring in parks and rec at UH, 46% are male and 54% are female.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Houston Report
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Michigan 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 doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
Of the 12 students majoring in parks and rec at Michigan State, 50% are male and 50% are female.
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Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 11 students majoring in parks and rec at OSU, 36% are male and 64% are female.
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The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 30% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their doctor’s degree. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.
Women make up 30% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
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Troy University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. TROY is a large public school located in the town of Troy.
Of the 8 students majoring in parks and rec at TROY, 75% are male and 25% are female.
Request InformationAdditional 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 Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 11 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 11 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 11 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Doctor'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 29 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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