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2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

10 Colleges in California
609 Bachelor's Degrees
$37,222 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #123 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 10 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation & leisure studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 609 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of parks, recreation & leisure studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for parks, recreation & leisure studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
81 Annual Graduates
$34,586 Median Starting Salary
$14,500 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat California State University - Long Beach if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,586.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Long Beach

2
119 Annual Graduates
$52,700 Median Starting Salary
$16,369 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies needs to look into California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo make $15,478 more than the average parks & rec grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

3
95 Annual Graduates
$34,427 Median Starting Salary
$18,179 Median Student Debt

California State University - Chico is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Chico State is a large public university located in the city of Chico.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $34,427 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Chico

4

It is hard to beat San Jose State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population.

Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their bachelor's degree from San Jose State University make $2,438 more than the average parks & rec graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from San Jose State University

5
96 Annual Graduates
$35,960 Median Starting Salary
$20,024 Median Student Debt

Sac State is a very large public university located in the large city of Sacramento.

After graduating, parks & rec bachelor's recipients typically earn around $35,960 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Sacramento

6
46 Annual Graduates
$33,087 Median Starting Salary
$16,797 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $33,087.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from San Francisco State University

7
31 Annual Graduates
$37,905 Median Starting Salary
$20,306 Median Student Debt

Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Hayward.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $37,905.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - East Bay

8
37 Annual Graduates
$34,067 Median Starting Salary
$14,061 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,067.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from California State University - Fresno

9
32 Annual Graduates
$32,608 Median Starting Salary
$14,999 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $32,608 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from San Diego State University

10
31 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Humboldt State University

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 58
Oregon 185 33
Nevada 129 0
Alaska 75 7

View All Rankings >

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is one of 4 different types of Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies programs to choose from.

Parks & Rec Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 609

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 5,817

Notes and References

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