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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in California

31 Colleges in California
11,772 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,218 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #15 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 31 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,772 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in California Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Parks & Rec
Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master's Degrees in Parks & Rec

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 Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the parks & rec degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
438 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$42,406 Median Starting Salary

Concordia University, Irvine is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #324 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Concordia University, Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 438 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Concordia University, Irvine get an earnings boost of about $10,187 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Irvine

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
491 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

California State University - Long Beach is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were about 491 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from California State University - Long Beach receive an earnings boost of about $3,233 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Long Beach

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
454 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

San Diego State University is a good option for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 454 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn an average of $28,564 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Diego State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
290 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$40,670 Median Starting Salary

San Jose State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. San Jose State is a very large public university located in the large city of San Jose. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 290 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from San Jose State University earn a boost of around $8,452 above the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Jose State University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
227 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were about 227 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive an earnings boost of approximately $8,423 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
280 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
17.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 82nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 280 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal Baptist in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from California Baptist University get an earnings boost of approximately $6,583 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California Baptist University

7
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #164 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 153 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of San Francisco receive an earnings boost of about $7,225 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of San Francisco

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
274 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #204 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 274 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $30,985 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Francisco State University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
325 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,778 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 79th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 325 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career wages of $28,778.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Chico

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
404 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,446 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #249 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 404 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $32,446 for their early career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Sacramento

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 673
Oregon 37 626
Hawaii 36 171
Nevada 35 272
Alaska 33 35

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 11,027
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 678
Recreation Administration 67

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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