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

12 Colleges in Massachusetts
1,210 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,408 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 reviewed 12 schools in Massachusetts 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 1,210 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 Massachusetts 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

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 Massachusetts. 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 Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts Schools in Parks & Rec

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

Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at University of Massachusetts Amherst. 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 approximately 144 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at University of Massachusetts Amherst earn $6,111 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,849 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Massachusetts - Boston if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #433 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMass Boston is a great university overall.

There were about 143 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $33,849.

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

3
Springfield College crest
Springfield College
Springfield, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Springfield College. 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 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 129 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Springfield College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $32,887.

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

4
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.8% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Endicott College if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the 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 schools 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 year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $32,186 in the first couple years of their career.

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

5
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 schools nationwide means Lasell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 80 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lasell in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Lasell University receive $5,906 more than the typical parks & rec graduate.

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

6
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
35 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,933 Median Starting Salary

Salem State is a moderately-sized public university located in the suburb of Salem. This university ranks 37th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 35 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Salem State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,933.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,057 Median Starting Salary

Westfield is a small public university located in the large suburb of Westfield. A Best Colleges rank of #714 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Westfield is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Westfield 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 income of $31,057.

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

8
Gordon College crest
Gordon College
Wenham, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$35,399 Median Starting Salary

Gordon College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wenham. This college ranks 45th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 13 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gordon College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $35,399.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$22,168 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Western New England is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 47th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 39 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Western New England in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $22,168 in their early career salary.

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

10
Regis College crest
Regis College
Weston, MA

Located in the large suburb of Weston, Regis College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 16 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Regis College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $24,335.

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

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

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

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

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,163
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 20
Outdoor Education 12
Recreation Administration 8
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 7

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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