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2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

14 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
787 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,514 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #166 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 787 degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of parks, recreation & leisure studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Parks, Recreation & Leisure 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.

Pick Your Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region 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 Studies in the Far Western US Region

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 Far Western US Region Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,586 Median Starting Salary

California State University - Long Beach is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 91 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,586.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
31.9% Growth in Graduates

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were about 119 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive $19,186 more than the typical parks & rec student.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies needs to check out California State University - Chico. Chico State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Chico. This university ranks 79th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 99 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make around $34,427 for their early career.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
22.5% Growth in Graduates

San Jose State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a 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. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were about 40 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from San Jose State University receive $6,146 more than the standard parks & rec graduate.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,960 Median Starting Salary

Sac State is a very large public university located in the city of Sacramento. This university ranks 39th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 100 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation & leisure studies degree program at California State University - Sacramento earn $2,446 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
19.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #204 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 46 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $33,087.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$37,905 Median Starting Salary

Cal State East Bay is a large public university located in the large suburb of Hayward. This university ranks 61st out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 31 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State East Bay in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation & leisure studies students who get their degree from California State University - East Bay make $4,391 more than the typical parks & rec graduate.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #215 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 48 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $26,359 for their early career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Western Washington University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,067 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 74th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 37 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $34,067 for their early career.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,608 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make around $32,608 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation & leisure studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 667
Washington 300 58
Oregon 266 41
Nevada 192 0
Alaska 119 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 787

View All Parks & Rec Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 12,743
Recreation Administration 115
Outdoor Education 15

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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