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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia

29 Colleges
$31,990 Avg Salary
$25,658 Avg Student Debt

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

With 1,729 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #18 most popular major in Virginia.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

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 Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in Virginia 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.

#1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named Liberty University the most popular school in Virginia for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Liberty University carry an average student debt load of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $435.

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

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at JMU take out is $21,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $335.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at James Madison University Report

#3

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

The excellent programs at Old Dominion University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Virginia. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Old Dominion take out $25,063 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $205, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion University Report

#4

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.

Parks & Rec majors at William & Mary take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Out of the 29 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at University of Virginia take out is $20,750.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#6

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from GMU carry an average student debt load of $22,351.

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#7

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Hampton University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Hampton carry an average student debt load of $26,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $1,000.

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

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. VCU is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

#9

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

Bridgewater College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Bridgewater accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $253, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Radford take out $26,239 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $166.

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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
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Arkansas 1,012
Mississippi 1,128
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981

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 26 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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