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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is about average in terms of popularity for associate degrees programs. That is, it ranks #21 out of the 38 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,796 associate degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies related body.

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 associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Far Western US Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a an associate degree.

Top Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate in Parks & Rec

1

Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

500 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Mt. San Antonio College. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Mt. San Antonio College

2

International Sports Sciences Association
Carpinteria, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

113 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at International Sports Sciences Association. ISSA is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Carpinteria.More information about a associate in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from International Sports Sciences Association

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

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

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
California	38	3,714
Oregon	35	30
Nevada	35	7
Washington	33	41
Alaska	22	4

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education	3,671
Recreation Administration	74
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies	41
Outdoor Education	10

Most Popular Majors Related to Parks & Rec

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service	865

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch. More about our data sources and methodologies.