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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

55 Colleges
$29,911 Avg Salary
$19,677 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 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. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 55 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region 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 the Rocky Mountains Region .

#1

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

Our analysis found University of Utah to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at U of U take out an average of $21,061 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

Out of the 55 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the # 2 spot on the list. Colorado State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Fort Collins.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Colorado State accumulate an average of around $21,018 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.

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Out of the 55 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the # 3 spot on the list. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at BYU take out is $11,225.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo Report

Out of the 55 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Colorado landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Northern Colorado is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Greeley.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at University of Northern Colorado accumulate an average of around $24,625 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $327.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Colorado Report

#5

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Colorado Mesa University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado Mesa is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Grand Junction.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Colorado Mesa take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $222, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #6, Utah Valley University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Orem, UVU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UVU take out $15,911 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Utah State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. USU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Logan.

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

Metropolitan State University of Denver came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the large city of Denver, MSU Denver is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at MSU Denver accumulate an average of around $23,739 in student debt.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver Report

#9

Southern Utah University

Cedar City, UT

Southern Utah 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 #9 on the list. Located in the remote town of Cedar City, Southern Utah University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Southern Utah University carry an average student debt load of $15,806.

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

Boise State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Boise State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boise.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Boise State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 1,093
Utah 1,178
Montana 94
Idaho 249
Wyoming 126

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 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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