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2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

5 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
234 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,800 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, parks, recreation & leisure studies sits in the middle of the road, ranking #166 out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

College Factual looked at 5 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 234 degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region Your choice of parks, recreation & leisure studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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.

Pick Your Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 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 Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. 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 Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region

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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$42,900 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Brigham Young University - Provo if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were about 105 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies program at Brigham Young University - Provo earn $10,100 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Brigham Young University - Provo

2
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,711 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Utah if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 42 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from University of Utah make $2,911 more than the average parks & rec student.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,024 Median Starting Salary

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the city of Denver, MSU Denver is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 26th out of 33 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 13 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at MSU Denver in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies major at Metropolitan State University of Denver make $4,224 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,704 Median Starting Salary
$14,753 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Western Colorado University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the remote town of Gunnison, Western is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 29th out of 33 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 20 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Western in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $22,704 for their early career.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In UT
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Cedar City, Southern Utah University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were about 21 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Southern Utah University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation & leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Colorado27551
Utah266200
Montana1883
Wyoming1624

View All Rankings >

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is one of 4 different types of Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies programs to choose from.

Parks & Rec Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies234

View All Parks & Rec Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education2,228
Recreation Administration217
Outdoor Education51
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies1

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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