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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in North Carolina

28 Colleges in North Carolina
3,548 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,466 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 28 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,548 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 North Carolina 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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision. 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
371 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,665 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 371 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill get an earnings boost of approximately $9,199 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
252 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
23.4% Growth in Graduates

North Carolina State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. NC State is a very large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 252 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from North Carolina State University earn a boost of about $9,160 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

University of North Carolina at Wilmington is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were roughly 253 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Wilmington receive $4,729 more than the average parks & rec student.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

4
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
16.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out Wake Forest University. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were about 83 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally make around $24,425 in their early careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
405 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
24.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 405 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $27,714 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
161 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,894 Median Starting Salary

ECU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 161 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at East Carolina University make $2,428 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

7
Campbell crest
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Campbell is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Buies Creek. A Best Colleges rank of #1038 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Campbell is a great university overall.

There were approximately 98 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Campbell in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $22,773 in the first couple years of their career.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
256 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,212 Median Starting Salary

UNC Greensboro is a large public university located in the city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #623 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were roughly 256 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro 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 income of $27,212.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
17.5% Growth in Graduates

WCU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Cullowhee. A Best Colleges rank of #859 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 120 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $28,306 in the first couple years of working.

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

10
Gardner - Webb crest
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC

Located in the town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1093 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Gardner - Webb is a great university overall.

There were about 30 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gardner - Webb in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $27,205 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Gardner - Webb University

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
West Virginia381,226
South Carolina381,336
Florida382,335
Virginia381,717
Arkansas381,012
Mississippi381,121
Louisiana37703
Alabama37959
Kentucky371,091
Georgia371,977
Tennessee372,459

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education3,017
Recreation Administration369
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies97
Outdoor Education65

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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