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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree Schools

50 Colleges in the United States
326 Doctor's Degrees
$69,500 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studiesdoctorate programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #23 out of the 36 majors we look at each year. This may make is a little harder to find a school that is a good fit for you.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 50 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 326 doctor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree Schools The parks & rec doctor'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor'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, & fitness studies students working on their doctor'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, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a wonderful decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Clemson University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat North Carolina State University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. NC State is a very large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from North Carolina State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Georgia

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies by Region

View the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 301
Recreation Administration 13
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 7
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 5

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 1,440

Notes and References

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