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

11 Colleges in Wisconsin
1,030 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,670 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #15 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in Wisconsin to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,030 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 Wisconsin Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

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

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 Schools in Wisconsin. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

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

The schools below may not offer all types of parks & rec degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Wisconsin Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
27.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 148 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make around $27,879 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
252 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,779 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - La Crosse is a great university overall.

There were approximately 252 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - La Crosse in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn around $31,779 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

3
Carthage crest
Carthage College
Kenosha, WI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,848 Median Starting Salary
$26,256 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Carthage College. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Kenosha. This college ranks 33rd out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 30 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Carthage in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn about $27,848 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Carthage College

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,775 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a good option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 26th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 42 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn an average of $31,775 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #524 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UWM is a great university overall.

There were approximately 87 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn an average of $31,631 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,219 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

WLC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Milwaukee. This college ranks 34th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were about 11 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WLC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $32,219.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Wisconsin Lutheran College

7

Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #467 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - River Falls is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - River Falls in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at University of Wisconsin - River Falls make $15,622 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - River Falls

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,149 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #323 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Eau Claire is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Eau Claire in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $29,149 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

8
Marian crest
Marian University
Fond Du Lac, WI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,194 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Marian is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fond Du Lac. This university ranks 39th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were about 14 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Marian in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn about $31,194 in the first five years of their career.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Platteville. A Best Colleges rank of #498 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Platteville is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Platteville in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Platteville receive $2,358 more than the standard parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 1,818
Michigan 38 2,277
Ohio 38 2,635
Illinois 38 2,391

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 972
Recreation Administration 53
Outdoor Education 5

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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