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

7 Colleges in Mississippi
1,137 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,783 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 7 schools in Mississippi to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,137 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 Mississippi Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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 Mississippi. 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 Mississippi

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.

Top Mississippi Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
199 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$24,639 Median Starting Salary

University of Mississippi is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Ole Miss is a fairly large public university located in the remote town of University. A Best Colleges rank of #361 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ole Miss is a great university overall.

There were about 199 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ole Miss in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $24,639 in their early careers.

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

2
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
283 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,015 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Mississippi State University. Located in the remote town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #284 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mississippi State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 283 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mississippi State in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Mississippi State University earn a boost of approximately $3,231 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
14.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern Mississippi 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 Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were approximately 241 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Southern Miss in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $27,180 in the first five years of their career.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
18.7% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Mississippi College if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. MC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Clinton. A Best Colleges rank of #644 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means MC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 75 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MC in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally make around $24,976 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Jackson, Belhaven is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were about 54 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Belhaven in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Belhaven University earn a boost of approximately $4,478 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
17.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Hattiesburg, William Carey University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #634 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means William Carey University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William Carey University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $27,292 in the first five years of their career.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
30.6% Growth in Graduates

MUW is a small public university located in the town of Columbus. This university ranks 6th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were about 36 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MUW in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career income of $21,221.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Mississippi University for Women

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,576 Median Starting Salary
$46,125 Median Student Debt

Jackson State is a moderately-sized public university located in the medium-sized city of Jackson. This university ranks 11th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were approximately 26 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Jackson State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at Jackson State University earn $4,793 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Jackson State 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.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
North Carolina383,418
West Virginia381,226
Florida382,335
Virginia381,717
Arkansas381,012
South Carolina381,336
Tennessee372,459
Louisiana37703
Alabama37959
Kentucky371,091
Georgia371,977

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education1,043
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies48
Recreation Administration46

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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