2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in
parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #13 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,296 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
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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a bachelor'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 college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different 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 bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor'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.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students go into to obtain their bachelor's 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 complete 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
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
10 Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
292
Annual Graduates
James Madison University is one of the best schools in the United States 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
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
84
Annual Graduates
University of Virginia - Main Campus is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia 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 Virginia - Main Campus
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
82
Annual Graduates
It's difficult to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. 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
It's hard to beat William & Mary if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. William & Mary is a moderately-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
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
105
Annual Graduates
Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the city of Norfolk.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Old Dominion University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
186
Annual Graduates
Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Liberty University
Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Roanoke College
Located in the distant town of Danville, AU 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 Averett University
Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Bridgewater.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Bridgewater College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
54
Annual Graduates
Located in the city of Hampton, Hampton 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 Hampton University