College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

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

10 Colleges in Kansas
713 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,485 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #15 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Kansas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 713 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 Kansas Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

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 Kansas list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Kansas

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the parks & rec degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Kansas Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
201 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,152 Median Starting Salary

University of Kansas is a good option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. KU is a very large public university located in the city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 201 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $28,152 in the first couple years of their career.

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

2
Tabor crest
Tabor College
Hillsboro, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36.0% Growth in Graduates
$30,215 Median Starting Salary

Tabor College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the remote town of Hillsboro, Tabor is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. This college ranks 24th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Tabor 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 $30,215.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Pittsburg State University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 11th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Pitt State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Pittsburg State University get $5,837 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,368 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Kansas State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. K -State is a large public university located in the small city of Manhattan. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were about 17 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at K -State 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 $29,368.

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

5
McPherson College crest
McPherson College
McPherson, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,145 Median Starting Salary

McPherson College is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of McPherson. This college ranks 30th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 15 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at McPherson College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $23,145.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,328 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of McPherson, Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 5 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Christian College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Central Christian College of Kansas make $4,843 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Central Christian College of Kansas

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,915 Median Starting Salary

WSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Wichita. A Best Colleges rank of #663 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WSU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Wichita State University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,430 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16.0% Growth in Graduates
$29,653 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Olathe, MNU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 16th out of 47 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MNU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $29,653.

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

8
Sterling College crest
Sterling College
Sterling, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,167 Median Starting Salary
$25,833 Median Student Debt

Located in the rural area of Sterling, Sterling College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were about 13 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Sterling College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $25,167 in their early career salary.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,662 Median Starting Salary

ESU is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Emporia. A Best Colleges rank of #781 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ESU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 8 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at ESU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Emporia State University earn a boost of approximately $2,177 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota381,137
Iowa381,465
South Dakota38342
Missouri381,326
Nebraska36429
North Dakota35266

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Health & Physical Education654
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies42
Recreation Administration17

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options