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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region

31 Colleges in the New England Region
2,777 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,506 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 31 schools in the New England Region 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 2,777 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region 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

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 the New England Region 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 the New England Region

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 England Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$39,519 Median Starting Salary

University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UMass Amherst is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Amherst. A Best Colleges rank of #81 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 144 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst earn $6,013 more than the typical parks & rec student.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
160 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
20.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of New Hampshire - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UNH is a large public university located in the small suburb of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #233 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNH is a great university overall.

There were roughly 160 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $33,982 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$42,726 Median Starting Salary

University of Connecticut is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Storrs. A Best Colleges rank of #86 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCONN is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Connecticut earn a boost of about $9,219 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,849 Median Starting Salary

University of Massachusetts - Boston is a great option for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #433 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMass Boston is a great university overall.

There were roughly 143 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston 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 earnings of $33,849.

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

5
Springfield College crest
Springfield College
Springfield, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Springfield, Springfield College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 39th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 129 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Springfield College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career income of $32,887.

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

6
Castleton crest
Castleton University
Castleton, VT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$38,348 Median Starting Salary

Castleton is a small public university located in the town of Castleton. This university ranks 8th out of 11 colleges for overall quality in the state of Vermont.

There were roughly 58 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Castleton in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Castleton University receive an earnings boost of around $4,842 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

7
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #499 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Endicott is a great college overall.

There were about 102 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Endicott in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $32,186 for their early career.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
14.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, SCSU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 12th out of 28 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were about 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SCSU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $31,526 in the first couple years of their career.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,371 Median Starting Salary

Plymouth State is a small public university located in the remote town of Plymouth. This university ranks 11th out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were roughly 81 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Plymouth State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $32,371.

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

10
Lasell crest
Lasell University
Newton, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
31.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Newton, Lasell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #624 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lasell is a great university overall.

There were about 80 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lasell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Lasell University get $5,808 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools for a specific state in the New England Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 37 568
Maine 37 200
Rhode Island 37 280
Massachusetts 37 1,194
Connecticut 35 327
Vermont 34 165

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,397
Recreation Administration 289
Outdoor Education 50
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 28
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 13

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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