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

27 Colleges in Ohio
2,670 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,054 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 27 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Ohio ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,670 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 Ohio 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

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

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 Ohio ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Ohio

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 Ohio Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
348 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.7% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Miami University - Oxford if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 348 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Miami University - Oxford make $3,112 more than the average parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
248 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
9.7% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 248 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $5,424 more than the average parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
317 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$43,205 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Ohio University - Athens Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were approximately 317 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Ohio University - Athens Campus make $11,151 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Dayton is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Dayton. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UDayton is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $31,458.

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

5
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,991 Median Starting Salary

Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #316 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.

There were about 61 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Xavier University receive an earnings boost of around $3,937 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
142 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 142 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $31,433 for their early career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

7
John Carroll crest
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #469 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means John Carroll is a great university overall.

There were approximately 60 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at John Carroll in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $27,675.

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

8
Ashland crest
Ashland University
Ashland, OH

Ashland is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Ashland. A Best Colleges rank of #527 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ashland is a great university overall.

There were roughly 17 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ashland in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Ashland University earn $3,633 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,807 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Berea. This university ranks 25th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 27 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Baldwin Wallace College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $32,807.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
1.7% Growth in Graduates

Mount Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Alliance. This university ranks 44th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 60 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mount Union in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $28,774 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Mount Union

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
Michigan 38 2,277
Illinois 38 2,391
Wisconsin 37 996

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,527
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 102
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 26
Recreation Administration 15

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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