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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

44 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,704 Master's Degrees
$40,779 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies sits in the middle of the road, ranking #16 out of 37 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

College Factual looked at 44 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,704 master's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your master'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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

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 master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

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, & fitness studies students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness 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, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Great Lakes Region

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

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Annual Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Annual Graduates

Ohio University - Athens Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
300 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Chicago

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Annual Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Miami University - Oxford

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 34 755
Indiana 33 180
Ohio 32 457
Michigan 31 204
Wisconsin 31 108

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,544
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 114
Recreation Administration 35
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 11

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 7,364

Notes and References

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