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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina

55 Colleges
$27,466 Avg Salary
$26,583 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 55 schools in North Carolina 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the most popular school in North Carolina for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $307, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UNC Greensboro is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $25,552 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $160.

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

The excellent programs at Appalachian State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in North Carolina. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Appalachian State take out is $20,528. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $259.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNCW carry an average student debt load of $22,750.

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#5

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from ECU take out $23,726 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $335.

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

With a ranking of #6, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.

Parks & Rec majors at NC State take out an average of $22,134 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $206.

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

With a ranking of #7, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. NC A&T is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

Parks & Rec majors at NC A&T take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $121, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #8, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debt load of $26,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $174, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

#9

Wingate University

Wingate, NC

Wingate University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wingate.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Wingate take out $25,805 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $400, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

University of North Carolina at Pembroke 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. Located in the distant town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UNC Pembroke take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $129, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

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 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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