2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Schools in the Far Western US Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 216 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which 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.
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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Far Western US Region Schools in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Fullerton the most popular school in the Far Western US Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Cal State Fullerton take out is $15,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $196.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mt. San Antonio College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Mt. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Walnut.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Mt. SAC carry an average student debt load of $7,677.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mt. San Antonio College
Out of the 216 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at CSUN accumulate an average of around $16,000 in student debt.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
Parks & Rec majors at CSULB take out an average of $16,625 in student loans while working on their egree.
The excellent programs at San Diego State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at SDSU take out is $17,793. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $241.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Diego State University
Concordia University, Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
On average, parks and rec graduates from Concordia University, Irvine take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $602.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Irvine
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Sac State take out is $18,455. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $199, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
College of the Canyons ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. College of the Canyons is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, parks and rec graduates from Cal State LA take out $14,592 in student loans while working on their degree.
California State University - Chico came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Chico State is a large public school located in the city of Chico.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Chico State take out is $19,726.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Chico Report
California State University - Fresno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Fresno State carry an average student debt load of $14,029.
With a ranking of #12, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Jose State University Report
California Baptist University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverside.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Cal Baptist accumulate an average of around $29,470 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $487.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California Baptist University
San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from SFSU carry an average student debt load of $17,137. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $204.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Francisco State University
With a ranking of #15, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UNLV is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Las Vegas.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UNLV accumulate an average of around $17,837 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $333.
With a ranking of #16, Oregon State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Oregon State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Corvallis.
On average, parks and rec graduates from Oregon State take out $24,770 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $453, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Oregon State University
With a ranking of #17, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Parks & Rec majors at Cal State East Bay take out an average of $16,084 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $188.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - East Bay Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debt load of $17,428. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $299.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of San Bernardino, CSUSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at CSUSB take out is $15,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $127.
With a ranking of #20, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $21,326 in student debt.
California State University - San Marcos landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a large student population.
Parks & Rec majors at CSUSM take out an average of $18,963 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $185.
With a ranking of #22, Riverside City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Riverside.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Riverside City College take out is $8,230.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Riverside City College
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #23 on the list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carson.
While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at CSUDH accumulate an average of around $14,556 in student debt.
Cabrillo College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #24 on the list. Cabrillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Aptos.
After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cabrillo College carry an average student debt load of $7,930.
Washington State University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a fairly large public school located in the town of Pullman.
The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Wazzu take out is $23,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $456, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Washington State University Report
Rest of the Top Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region
Honorable Mentions
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 Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Pasadena City College | Pasadena, CA |
| 34 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI |
| 35 | California State University - Stanislaus | Turlock, CA |
| 36 | MiraCosta College | Oceanside, CA |
| 37 | Long Beach City College | Long Beach, CA |
| 38 | Fresno City College | Fresno, CA |
| 39 | Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill, CA |
| 40 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park, CA |
| 41 | University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA |
| 42 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 43 | Citrus College | Glendora, CA |
| 43 | Portland Community College | Portland, OR |
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 Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 11,237 |
| Washington | 673 |
| Oregon | 629 |
| Hawaii | 171 |
| Nevada | 273 |
| Alaska | 35 |
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 |
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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