2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia
13
Colleges in Virginia
1,724
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,082
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.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,724 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School
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
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 Virginia 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 Virginia
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 Virginia Schools in Parks & Rec
Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into James Madison University. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 268 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from James Madison University get an earnings boost of approximately $5,509 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison UniversityEvery student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into University of Virginia - Main Campus. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 121 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of Virginia - Main Campus earn $17,871 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Virginia - Main CampusGeorge Mason University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 128 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at George Mason University earn $2,127 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from George Mason UniversityWilliam & Mary is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #111 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.
There were about 112 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn an average of $27,366 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William & MaryOld Dominion is a very large public university located in the city of Norfolk. This university ranks 14th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 152 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $31,326 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Old Dominion UniversityLiberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg. A Best Colleges rank of #352 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 386 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $32,791 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Liberty UniversityRoanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem. This college ranks 24th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Roanoke in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $26,496.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Roanoke CollegeLocated in the town of Danville, AU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 42nd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 33 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at AU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $23,288 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Averett UniversityVCU is a very large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #240 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.
There were about 52 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Virginia Commonwealth University earn $6,723 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Virginia Commonwealth UniversityBridgewater is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Bridgewater. This college ranks 29th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 49 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bridgewater in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $30,003 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Bridgewater College
