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

12 Colleges in Georgia
2,128 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,630 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 2,128 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
90 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,286 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Emory University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Emory is a 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 about 90 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Emory University earn $6,656 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
358 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
15.4% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 358 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $29,679 in the first five years of their career.

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

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

It is difficult 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 distant town of Statesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #586 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GaSou is a great university overall.

There were about 388 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 degree program at Georgia Southern University earn $6,136 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
249 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
14.1% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Kennesaw State University if you wish 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 249 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at KSU Georgia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Kennesaw State University earn $4,698 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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
35 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$25,276 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small 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 35 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Berry 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 $25,276.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
12.4% Growth in Graduates

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

There were approximately 97 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Augusta University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $27,612 in their early career salary.

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

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

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

There were about 77 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of West Georgia in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $27,967 in the first couple years of their career.

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

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

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

There were about 81 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Georgia 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 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
43 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
30.2% Growth in Graduates

Georgia State is a very large public university located in the large 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 about 43 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Georgia State in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Georgia State University earn $10,023 more than the standard parks & rec student.

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

10
Emmanuel College crest
Emmanuel College
Franklin Springs, GA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
21.2% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 33 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Emmanuel 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 $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.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
North Carolina383,418
West Virginia381,226
Florida382,335
Virginia381,717
Arkansas381,012
Mississippi381,121
South Carolina381,336
Louisiana37703
Alabama37959
Kentucky371,091
Tennessee372,459

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education1,957
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies79
Recreation Administration74
Outdoor Education18

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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