2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri
13
Colleges in Missouri
1,246
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,707
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 Missouri ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,246 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Missouri
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 Missouri Schools in Parks & Rec
It's hard to beat Maryville University of Saint Louis if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Maryville U is a great university overall.
There were roughly 42 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Maryville U in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Maryville University of Saint Louis receive an earnings boost of around $9,873 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Maryville University of Saint LouisUniversity of Missouri - Columbia is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were about 87 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at University of Missouri - Columbia get $3,681 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Missouri - ColumbiaEvery student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Lindenwood University. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #651 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lindenwood University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 109 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lindenwood University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $32,635.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Lindenwood UniversityIt is difficult to beat University of Central Missouri if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were about 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Central Missouri get an earnings boost of about $5,326 above the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Central MissouriLocated in the distant town of Fulton, Westminster Fulton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
There were approximately 21 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Westminster Fulton in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $28,721 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Westminster College MissouriNorthwest is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Maryville. A Best Colleges rank of #727 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwest is a great university overall.
There were about 53 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Northwest in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Northwest Missouri State University get an earnings boost of approximately $5,679 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northwest Missouri State UniversityMissouri State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 149 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn around $27,353 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Missouri State University - SpringfieldMBU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 25th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were about 36 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MBU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $25,801 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Missouri Baptist UniversityLocated in the city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 68 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Western in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Missouri Western State University get an earnings boost of around $2,722 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Missouri Western State UniversitySoutheast Missouri State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the small city of Cape Girardeau. This university ranks 27th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 33 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Missouri State University in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Southeast Missouri State University make $2,288 more than the average parks & rec student.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southeast Missouri State University