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

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

92 Colleges
$32,728 Avg Salary
$22,653 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 7,380 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Texas college or university. This makes it the #14 most popular major in the state.

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 Texas ranking. This report analyzed 92 schools in Texas 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 Texas.

Our 2023 rankings named Texas A&M University - College Station the most popular school in Texas for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the city of College Station.

Parks & Rec majors at Texas A&M College Station take out an average of $19,500 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.

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#2

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX

Out of the 92 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Texas State is a very large public school located in the city of San Marcos.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Texas State take out is $22,688. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $289, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Out of the 92 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Antonio, UTSA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UTSA accumulate an average of around $23,718 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $126, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio

#4

University of Houston

Houston, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Texas list. UH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UH carry an average student debt load of $22,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $205, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The excellent programs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Texas. Located in the midsize city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UT Rio Grande Valley take out is $17,000.

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University of North Texas landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UNT is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Denton.

Parks & Rec majors at UNT take out an average of $25,727 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $242.

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

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Texas ranking. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at UT Austin take out an average of $21,765 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $385, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#8

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX

Tarleton State 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 #8 on the list. Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Tarleton carry an average student debt load of $23,250. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $152.

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

The University of Texas at Arlington 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 city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UT Arlington carry an average student debt load of $20,930. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $124.

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The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Texas ranking. Located in the city of El Paso, UTEP is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at UTEP take out an average of $20,934 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at El Paso Report

Stephen F Austin State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Texas list. Located in the remote town of Nacogdoches, SFASU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SFASU accumulate an average of around $25,652 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $303.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Stephen F Austin State University Report

With a ranking of #12, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. TWU is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Denton.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at TWU accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Woman’s University

#13

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, TX

With a ranking of #13, Sam Houston State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at SHSU take out an average of $23,125 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $177, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Sam Houston State University

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 Texas award.

Rank College Location
14 Baylor University Waco, TX
15 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX
16 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX
17 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
18 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
18 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 1,071
New Mexico 141
Oklahoma 1,179

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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