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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New York

19 Colleges in New York
2,622 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,338 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,622 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 New York Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New York list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 New York

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 New York Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$60,701 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 71 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York receive an earnings boost of approximately $27,363 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Columbia University in the City of New York

2
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
150 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$37,302 Median Starting Salary

Syracuse University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were about 150 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Syracuse University get $3,964 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Canisius crest
Canisius College
Buffalo, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
115 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,869 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Canisius College if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 70th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 114.99999999999999 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Canisius in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Canisius College receive $3,531 more than the standard parks & rec graduate.

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

4
SUNY Cortland crest
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
349 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,288 Median Starting Salary

SUNY Cortland is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Cortland. A Best Colleges rank of #700 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SUNY Cortland is a great school overall.

There were roughly 349 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Cortland in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from SUNY Cortland earn $2,951 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,249 Median Starting Salary

SUNY Brockport is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Brockport. This college ranks 72nd out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 185 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Brockport in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $30,249.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The College at Brockport

6
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

Brooklyn College is a large public college located in the large city of Brooklyn. A Best Colleges rank of #511 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Brooklyn College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 83 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Brooklyn College in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Brooklyn College receive $6,998 more than the standard parks & rec graduate.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

Manhattanville is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Purchase. A Best Colleges rank of #788 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Manhattanville is a great college overall.

There were about 57 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Manhattanville in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Manhattanville College get an earnings boost of about $15,216 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

8
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,208 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Garden City, Adelphi is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #554 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Adelphi is a great university overall.

There were approximately 93 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Adelphi in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $28,208 for their early career.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$38,345 Median Starting Salary

STJ is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Queens. A Best Colleges rank of #592 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means STJ is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at STJ in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from St John's University - New York receive $5,007 more than the standard parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St John’s University - New York

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$36,149 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

SJC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Brooklyn. This college ranks 75th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 7 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SJC in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from St. Joseph's College - New York get an earnings boost of about $2,811 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St. Joseph’s College - New York

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

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 1,047
Pennsylvania 38 2,724
Maryland 37 832
Delaware 33 342
District of Columbia 33 316

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,409
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 135
Recreation Administration 67
Outdoor Education 11

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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