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

7 Colleges in Kentucky
1,141 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,581 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.

College Factual looked at 7 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Kentucky ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,141 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 Kentucky 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 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 Kentucky list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Kentucky

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.

Top Kentucky Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
271 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Louisville if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Louisville, UofL is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #338 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were about 271 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of Louisville get $3,912 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of the Cumberlands if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Cumberlands is a large private not-for-profit university located in the town of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #434 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cumberlands is a great university overall.

There were roughly 49 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands 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 wages of $27,534.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Kentucky is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UK is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were about 42 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of Kentucky earn $12,041 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

4
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
258 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,183 Median Starting Salary

Western Kentucky University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the small city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 258 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Western Kentucky University get an earnings boost of about $3,601 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

5
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.5% Growth in Graduates

Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Louisville. This university ranks 5th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 52 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bellarmine U in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $24,904 in the first couple years of their career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
5.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 18th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were approximately 73 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Morehead State University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn around $29,341 in their early careers.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$23,482 Median Starting Salary

Eastern is a large public university located in the town of Richmond. This university ranks 10th out of 38 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 141 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $23,482 in the first couple years of their career.

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

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

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges 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
Georgia 37 1,977
Tennessee 37 2,459
Louisiana 37 703

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 988
Recreation Administration 145
Outdoor Education 5
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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