2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Illinois with 2,396 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
The Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree 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.
2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 10 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Chicago the most popular school in Illinois for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.
About 47% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 53% are male.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Chicago
Request Information
The in-demand master’s degree programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Of the 67 students majoring in parks and rec at Illinois State, 46% are male and 54% are female.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Illinois State University
Request Information
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
Of the 64 students majoring in parks and rec at SIUE, 50% are male and 50% are female.
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 62 students majoring in parks and rec at Northwestern, 77% are male and 23% are female.
Request Information
Out of the 17 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 55% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
Western Illinois 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 master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
About 43% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 57% are male.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Illinois University Report
Request Information
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.
Women make up 39% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
About 39% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 61% are male.
Request Information
Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
Women make up 37% of the parks and rec majors at the school.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Illinois University Report
Request Information
Aurora University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aurora.
Of the 21 students majoring in parks and rec at Aurora, 48% are male and 52% are female.
Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 1,818 |
| Michigan | 2,279 |
| Ohio | 2,647 |
| Wisconsin | 1,001 |
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 17 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.