2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Illinois
21
Colleges in Illinois
2,442
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,264
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #15 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
College Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,442 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School
The parks & rec program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Illinois
The schools below may not offer all types of parks & rec degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Illinois Schools in Parks & Rec
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were approximately 62 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Northwestern University make $15,633 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northwestern University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 317 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,420 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Concordia University, Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #170 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 429 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Concordia University, Chicago earn $6,782 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 155 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $29,899 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Chicago
North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Naperville. This college ranks 25th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 55 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $30,299 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from North Central College
Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were about 223 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make around $35,176 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Illinois State University
Located in the large suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.
There were about 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $27,486 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Elmhurst University
SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Carbondale. A Best Colleges rank of #545 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 136 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $28,151 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #354 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.
There were approximately 90 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $27,066 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Aurora University
Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #550 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 98 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Northern Illinois University get $2,337 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northern Illinois University
college factual
