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

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

65 Colleges
$32,054 Avg Salary
$26,411 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 2,647 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Ohio college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio ranking. This report analyzed 65 schools in Ohio 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.

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

Our 2023 rankings named Miami University - Oxford the most popular school in Ohio for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Miami University - Oxford carry an average student debt load of $24,876. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $544.

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The excellent programs at Ohio University - Athens Campus helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Ohio. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from OHIO Athens carry an average student debt load of $25,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $443, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The excellent programs at Ohio State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Ohio. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Ohio State take out is $24,408. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $376.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio list. BGSU is a large public school located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from BGSU carry an average student debt load of $25,437. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $508.

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The excellent programs at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Ohio. UC is a very large public school located in the city of Cincinnati.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UC accumulate an average of around $22,911 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $398.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Report

Kent State University at Kent 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. Kent State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Kent.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Kent State take out is $25,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $301, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

#7

University of Toledo

Toledo, OH

University of Toledo landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Toledo, University of Toledo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at University of Toledo accumulate an average of around $24,800 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $232.

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

#8

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Youngstown State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Youngstown State University take out an average of $26,196 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $193, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

University of Akron Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Ohio list. Located in the medium-sized city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out an average of $30,125 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $299, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Akron Main Campus

#10

Xavier University

Cincinnati, OH

Xavier 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 #10 on the list. Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cincinnati.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Xavier take out is $27,000.

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

Additional 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 Schools in Ohio award.

Rank College Location
11 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
11 University of Mount Union Alliance, OH
11 Wright State University - Main Campus Dayton, OH

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Illinois 2,396
Wisconsin 1,001

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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