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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

14 Colleges
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You

With 3,436 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #11 most popular major in North Carolina.

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.

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 Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in North Carolina to see which ones were the most popular master's degree 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found University of North Carolina at Greensboro to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in North Carolina. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

Of the 41 students majoring in parks and rec at UNC Greensboro, 22% are male and 78% are female.

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#2

Wingate University

Wingate, NC

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Wingate University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wingate.

Of the 34 students majoring in parks and rec at Wingate, 53% are male and 47% are female.

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#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 47% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 53% are male.

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Out of the 14 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.

Of the 30 students majoring in parks and rec at NC State, 47% are male and 53% are female.

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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Western Carolina University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.

Of the 22 students majoring in parks and rec at WCU, 55% are male and 45% are female.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Carolina University Report

Appalachian State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 21 students majoring in parks and rec at Appalachian State, 48% are male and 52% are female.

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North Carolina Central 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. North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Durham.

Women make up 33% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 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 #8 on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Women make up 53% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

#9

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest 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 #9 on the list. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.

Women make up 80% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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

#10

Barton College

Wilson, NC

Barton College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Barton College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Wilson.

Women make up 56% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 1,238
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Virginia 1,729
Arkansas 1,012
Mississippi 1,128
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981
Tennessee 2,462

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 14 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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