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

38 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,120 Master's Degrees
$40,924 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies isn't the most popular master's program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #16 in popularity out of 37 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 38 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,120 master's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 Southwest 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality 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 various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

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 colleges 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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.

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

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

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

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you wish to pursue a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Southern Methodist University if you want to pursue a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Methodist University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Baylor University. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor 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 Baylor University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

SNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bethany.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Southern Nazarene University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

NAU is a very large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Northern Arizona University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Arizona State University - Tempe

8
Tarleton crest
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Annual Graduates

Located in the remote town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Tarleton State University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Annual Graduates

UNT is a fairly large public university located in the city of Denton.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Texas

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 32 30
Texas 32 801
Oklahoma 32 264
New Mexico 31 25

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,066
Recreation Administration 31
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 16
Outdoor Education 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 4,773

Notes and References

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