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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oregon

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oregon

18 Colleges
$26,003 Avg Salary
$25,173 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You

With 629 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #16 most popular major in Oregon.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oregon ranking. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Oregon 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.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

#1

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR

Our 2023 rankings named Oregon State University the most popular school in Oregon for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Oregon State is a very large public school located in the city of Corvallis.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Oregon State accumulate an average of around $24,770 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $453.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Portland Community College is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Portland Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Portland.

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

#3

Eastern Oregon University

La Grande, OR

The excellent programs at Eastern Oregon University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Oregon. Located in the town of La Grande, EOU is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at EOU take out is $25,000.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Oregon University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Oregon University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Ashland, Southern Oregon University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Southern Oregon University take out $24,172 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $255, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Out of the 18 schools in Oregon that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Oregon University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Western Oregon State College is a small public school located in the town of Monmouth.

Parks & Rec majors at Western Oregon State College take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $161.

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University of Western States 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. Western States Chiropractic College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Portland.

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#7

Pacific University

Forest Grove, OR

Pacific 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 #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Forest Grove, Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Pacific take out is $26,348. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $436, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Linfield University - McMinnville Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oregon ranking. Linfield is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of McMinnville.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Linfield take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Linfield University - McMinnville Campus

#9

Corban University

Salem, OR

With a ranking of #9, Corban University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Corban is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Salem.

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

#10

Warner Pacific University

Portland, OR

Warner Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Oregon list. Warner Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Portland.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Warner Pacific University Report

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 11,237
Washington 673
Hawaii 171
Nevada 273
Alaska 35

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 18 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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