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2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

13 Colleges in the Southeast Region
489 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,183 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #123 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 489 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * 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 the Southeast Region The parks & rec bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

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

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies.

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

1
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
77 Annual Graduates
$34,893 Median Starting Salary
$23,310 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies needs to take a look at University of Arkansas. Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public university with a very large student population.

Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Arkansas make $6,710 more than the average parks & rec grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of Arkansas

2
33 Annual Graduates
$26,887 Median Starting Salary
$19,587 Median Student Debt

East Carolina University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. ECU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Greenville.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $26,887 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from East Carolina University

3
51 Annual Graduates
$29,808 Median Starting Salary
$24,936 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Georgia Southern University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $29,808.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Georgia Southern University

4
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV
27 Annual Graduates
$34,185 Median Starting Salary
$24,950 Median Student Debt

Shepherd University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Shepherd University is a small public university located in the fringe town of Shepherdstown.

Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Shepherd University receive $6,002 more than the average parks & rec grad.

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

5
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
41 Annual Graduates
$30,562 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Radford is a moderately-sized public university located in the suburb of Radford.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Radford University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,379 over the typical income of parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates.

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

6
14 Annual Graduates
$28,722 Median Starting Salary
$29,460 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss 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 income of $28,722.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of Southern Mississippi

7
64 Annual Graduates
$24,215 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

UNC Greensboro is a large public university located in the city of Greensboro.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $24,215 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

8
7 Annual Graduates

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

8
Newberry College crest
Newberry College
Newberry, SC
6 Annual Graduates

Newberry College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Newberry.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Newberry College

9
31 Annual Graduates
$26,609 Median Starting Salary
$26,750 Median Student Debt

USA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Mobile.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,609.

More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from University of South Alabama

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation & leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 0
Georgia 224 58
Tennessee 220 3
North Carolina 213 121
Virginia 213 74
South Carolina 195 13
Kentucky 187 3
Alabama 184 65
Louisiana 171 25
Mississippi 169 20
Arkansas 167 80
West Virginia 147 27

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Parks & Rec Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 489

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 14,182
Recreation Administration 1,107
Outdoor Education 54
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 17

Notes and References

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