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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan

16 Colleges in Michigan
2,286 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,378 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #15 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 16 schools in Michigan to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,286 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Doctor's Degrees in Parks & Rec

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Michigan

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the parks & rec degree levels they offer.

10 Top Michigan Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
326 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 326 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $7,713 more than the typical parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
442 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

Michigan State University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 442 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make about $30,429 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Michigan State University

3
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
292 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,103 Median Starting Salary

Central Michigan University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Central Michigan is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant. A Best Colleges rank of #402 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Central Michigan is a great university overall.

There were roughly 292 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,103.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Central Michigan University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
290 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
6.2% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Grand Valley State University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. GVSU is a very large public university located in the suburb of Allendale. A Best Colleges rank of #399 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GVSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 290 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make an average of $27,617 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Grand Valley State University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
5.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #335 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WMU is a great university overall.

There were about 137 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Western Michigan University receive an earnings boost of around $2,843 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Western Michigan University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
53.2% Growth in Graduates

Wayne State is a very large public university located in the large city of Detroit. A Best Colleges rank of #381 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wayne State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 94 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Wayne State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Wayne State University make $11,678 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Wayne State University

7
Adrian crest
Adrian College
Adrian, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
43.5% Growth in Graduates

Adrian is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Adrian. This college ranks 23rd out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 62 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Adrian in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $27,578 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adrian College

8
Hope crest
Hope College
Holland, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
19.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #398 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Hope is a great college overall.

There were about 36 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Hope in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,092.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Hope College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,072 Median Starting Salary

Eastern Michigan is a large public university located in the suburb of Ypsilanti. This university ranks 20th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were approximately 114 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Eastern Michigan in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Eastern Michigan University get an earnings boost of around $2,693 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Eastern Michigan University

10
Cornerstone crest
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, MI

Cornerstone is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids. This university ranks 41st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 26 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cornerstone in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Cornerstone University get $3,767 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Cornerstone University

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

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 1,818
Ohio 38 2,635
Illinois 38 2,391
Wisconsin 37 996

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,206
Recreation Administration 48
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 16
Outdoor Education 16

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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