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

12 Colleges in Georgia
2,038 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,109 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 12 schools in Georgia to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,038 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 Georgia 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

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 Georgia 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 Georgia

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 Georgia Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
16.5% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Emory University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were approximately 91 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Emory University receive $6,177 more than the typical parks & rec student.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,679 Median Starting Salary

University of Georgia is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 303 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn about $29,679 in their early careers.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
397 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,766 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Georgia Southern University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. GaSou is a very large public university located in the town of Statesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #586 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GaSou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 397 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at GaSou in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Georgia Southern University make $5,657 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
214 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,328 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Kennesaw State University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. KSU Georgia is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Kennesaw. A Best Colleges rank of #708 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KSU Georgia is a great university overall.

There were about 214 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at KSU Georgia in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Kennesaw State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,219 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

5
Berry crest
Berry College
Mount Berry, GA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Mount Berry, Berry is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 20th out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 45 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Berry 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 $25,276.

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

6
Augusta University crest
Augusta University
Augusta, GA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.6% Growth in Graduates

Augusta University is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Augusta. This university ranks 18th out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were about 85 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Augusta University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $27,612 for their early career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,967 Median Starting Salary

University of West Georgia is a large public university located in the town of Carrollton. This university ranks 30th out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of West Georgia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $27,967 for their early career.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,299 Median Starting Salary

Georgia College is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Milledgeville. A Best Colleges rank of #713 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgia College is a great university overall.

There were about 98 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Georgia College 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 $27,299.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,653 Median Starting Salary

Georgia State is a very large public university located in the city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #582 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgia State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Georgia State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Georgia State University earn $9,544 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

10
Emmanuel College crest
Emmanuel College
Franklin Springs, GA

Emmanuel College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Franklin Springs.

There were approximately 26 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Emmanuel 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 wages of $22,044.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 38 3,418
West Virginia 38 1,226
Mississippi 38 1,121
South Carolina 38 1,336
Florida 38 2,335
Virginia 38 1,717
Arkansas 38 1,012
Alabama 37 959
Kentucky 37 1,091
Tennessee 37 2,459
Louisiana 37 703

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,808
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 108
Recreation Administration 106
Outdoor Education 16

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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