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

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

23 Colleges
$34,351 Avg Salary
$22,581 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #21 most popular major in Washington with 673 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 Washington ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in Washington to see which ones were the most popular 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.

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Washington.

Our analysis found Washington State University to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Washington. Wazzu is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Pullman.

Parks & Rec majors at Wazzu take out an average of $23,750 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $456.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Washington State University Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Central Washington University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from CWU take out $22,013 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $210, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Out of the 23 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the # 3 spot on the list. WWU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bellingham.

On average, parks and rec graduates from WWU take out $19,975 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $250, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#4

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gonzaga University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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Out of the 23 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Pacific Lutheran University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Tacoma, PLU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from PLU carry an average student debt load of $25,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $335.

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

#6

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

With a ranking of #6, Seattle University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Seattle U accumulate an average of around $24,750 in student debt.

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Eastern Washington University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. Located in the fringe town of Cheney, EWU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from EWU carry an average student debt load of $19,000.

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

#8

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA

Bellevue 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 #8 on the list. BC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Bellevue.

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Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom 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 #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Lakewood, Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom Report

University of Puget Sound ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. Puget Sound is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Tacoma.

Parks & Rec majors at Puget Sound take out an average of $23,414 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Puget Sound

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
Oregon 629
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

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 23 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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