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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York

73 Colleges
$33,338 Avg Salary
$21,820 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #22 most popular major in New York with 2,477 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 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 New York ranking. Our analysis looked at 73 schools in New York 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

#1

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

Our 2023 rankings named SUNY Cortland the most popular school in New York for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at SUNY Cortland take out is $25,974. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $301, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SUNY Cortland

#2

The College at Brockport

Brockport, NY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The College at Brockport. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. SUNY Brockport is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Brockport.

Parks & Rec majors at SUNY Brockport take out an average of $25,654 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $226.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The College at Brockport Report

#3

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Syracuse University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Syracuse accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $555, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St John’s University - New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. STJ is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Queens.

Parks & Rec majors at STJ take out an average of $25,750 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $693, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St John’s University - New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Focus Personal Training Institute. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the city of New York, FPTI is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from FPTI take out $7,355 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Focus Personal Training Institute

#6

Canisius College

Buffalo, NY

Canisius College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Canisius take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $345.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Canisius College Report

#7

Adelphi University

Garden City, NY

With a ranking of #7, Adelphi University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Garden City, Adelphi is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Adelphi take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $704, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

#8

Lehman College

Bronx, NY

With a ranking of #8, Lehman College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large city of Bronx, Lehman is a public school with a large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Lehman take out $7,457 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lehman College Report

#9

Monroe College

Bronx, NY

Monroe College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the city of Bronx, Monroe College is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Monroe College take out $14,010 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $125.

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

#10

SUNY Oswego

Oswego, NY

SUNY Oswego landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SUNY Oswego is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Oswego.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SUNY Oswego Report

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 New York award.

Rank College Location
11 Queens College Queens, NY
12 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
13 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
14 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 1,047
Pennsylvania 2,734
Maryland 832
Delaware 342
District of Columbia 319

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 27 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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