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2024 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New Jersey

8 Colleges in New Jersey
1,113 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,053 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.

College Factual reviewed 8 schools in New Jersey to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,113 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in New Jersey The parks & rec program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies rankings. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings by 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 New Jersey. 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 New Jersey

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.

Top New Jersey Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
456 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to take a look at Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were roughly 456 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Rutgers University - New Brunswick receive an earnings boost of about $4,970 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

2
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
37.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Seton Hall University. Located in the large suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #404 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Seton Hall is a great university overall.

There were about 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Seton Hall in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Seton Hall University make $11,184 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,106 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat William Paterson University of New Jersey if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the suburb of Wayne, William Paterson University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #739 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means William Paterson University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 107 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William Paterson University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $29,106 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William Paterson University of New Jersey

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
45.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Montclair State University. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #346 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 120 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make an average of $26,264 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

Kean is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Union. This university ranks 22nd out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 48 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Kean 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 $32,052.

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

6
Saint Peter's College crest
Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$19,087 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Saint Peter's College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Jersey City. This university ranks 35th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Saint Peter's College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make around $19,087 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Saint Peter’s University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,761 Median Starting Salary

FDU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Teaneck. This university ranks 19th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 19 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at FDU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus get $2,708 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,216 Median Starting Salary
$24,892 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lakewood, Georgian Court is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 28th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 19 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Georgian Court in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually make around $22,216 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 38 2,724
New York 38 2,473
Maryland 37 832
Delaware 33 342
District of Columbia 33 316

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,095
Recreation Administration 18

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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