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

151 Colleges in the Southeast Region
15,849 Bachelor's Degrees
$27,060 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #13 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 151 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 15,849 bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region The parks & rec bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

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 bachelor'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

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

22 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Annual Graduates

Clemson University is a great option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Clemson is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Clemson.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Clemson University

2
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
91 Annual Graduates

Emory University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Emory University

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
292 Annual Graduates

James Madison University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from James Madison University

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Florida if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Florida

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of South Carolina - Columbia

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
473 Annual Graduates

American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from American Public University System

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
386 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Annual Graduates

UGA is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Athens.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Georgia

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
352 Annual Graduates

UT Knoxville is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Virginia - Main Campus

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Annual Graduates

The Citadel is a small public college located in the midsize city of Charleston.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Citadel Military College of South Carolina

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
243 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Florida International University

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from George Mason University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Annual Graduates

UofL is a very large public university located in the large city of Louisville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Louisville

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from North Carolina State University

16
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Shenandoah University

17
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Annual Graduates

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Florida State University

18
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
125 Annual Graduates

William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William & Mary

19
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
268 Annual Graduates

UARK is a very large public university located in the small city of Fayetteville.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Arkansas

20
244 Annual Graduates

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Wilmington.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

21
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
215 Annual Graduates

Located in the remote town of University, Ole Miss is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Mississippi

Rest of the Top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
26 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
27 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
28 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
29 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
30 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
23 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
24 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
25 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 34 3,089
Mississippi 34 890
Florida 34 1,760
Virginia 34 1,296
Alabama 33 743
Georgia 33 1,646
West Virginia 32 1,002
Tennessee 32 2,175
South Carolina 32 1,116
Kentucky 31 861
Louisiana 31 551
Arkansas 30 720

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 14,182
Recreation Administration 1,107
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 489
Outdoor Education 54
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 17

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 8,418

Notes and References

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