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

7 Colleges in Colorado
1,128 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,950 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 Colorado ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,128 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2021-2022 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 Colorado 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

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 Colorado. 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 Colorado

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 Colorado Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
316 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,688 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Colorado State University - Fort Collins. Colorado State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Fort Collins. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were about 316 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $29,688.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
218 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Northern Colorado if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #701 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Northern Colorado is a great university overall.

There were approximately 218 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of Northern Colorado in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Northern Colorado receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,941 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,216 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Metropolitan State University of Denver. MSU Denver is a fairly large public university located in the city of Denver. This university ranks 26th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were about 117 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MSU Denver in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Metropolitan State University of Denver get $6,266 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Fort Lewis College. FLC is a small public college located in the distant town of Durango. A Best Colleges rank of #1382 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means FLC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 70 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at FLC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $23,102 in their early career salary.

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

5
Colorado Mesa crest
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, CO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$26,695 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 28th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 139 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado Mesa in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $26,695 in the first couple years of working.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
31.0% Growth in Graduates

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a medium-sized public university located in the midsize city of Pueblo. This university ranks 27th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 58 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State University - Pueblo in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $30,920 in their early careers.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,377 Median Starting Salary

Adams State is a small public university located in the town of Alamosa. A Best Colleges rank of #1287 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Adams State is a great university overall.

There were about 53 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Adams State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make an average of $28,377 in their early careers.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$26,515 Median Starting Salary

Western is a small public university located in the remote town of Gunnison. This university ranks 29th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 57 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Western 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 $26,515.

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

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

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Utah371,178
Montana3694
Idaho36249
Wyoming32126

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education917
Recreation Administration118
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies65
Outdoor Education28

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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