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

20 Colleges in Florida
2,397 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,773 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #15 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 20 schools in Florida to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,397 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

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 Florida 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. We derive our Best Overall Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

Associate Degrees in Parks & Rec
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 Florida. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

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

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the parks & rec degree levels they offer.

10 Top Florida Schools in Parks & Rec

1
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
306 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
27.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Florida is a great option for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 306 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at University of Florida make $6,280 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
274 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,195 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Florida International University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #183 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.

There were about 274 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at FIU 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 $32,195.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #176 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great university overall.

There were roughly 185 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $25,506 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

4
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,761 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out University of Miami. U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Coral Gables. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were roughly 100 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Miami earn a boost of about $4,988 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

5
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
219 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,776 Median Starting Salary

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were about 219 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $31,776 for their early career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
59.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #193 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCF is a great university overall.

There were about 67 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Central Florida earn $16,478 more than the standard parks & rec grad.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,838 Median Starting Salary

UWF is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Pensacola. This university ranks 31st out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 147 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UWF in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at The University of West Florida earn $5,065 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of West Florida

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$44,824 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #229 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USF Tampa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies degree program at University of South Florida - Main Campus earn $14,051 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of South Florida - Main Campus

9
NUS Florida crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
35.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #310 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NUS Florida is a great university overall.

There were about 74 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at NUS Florida in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $25,404.

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

10
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
90 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
8.9% Growth in Graduates

UNF is a large public university located in the large city of Jacksonville. This university ranks 15th out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 90 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNF in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $30,950 in the first couple years of working.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 38 3,418
West Virginia 38 1,226
Mississippi 38 1,121
South Carolina 38 1,336
Virginia 38 1,717
Arkansas 38 1,012
Alabama 37 959
Kentucky 37 1,091
Georgia 37 1,977
Tennessee 37 2,459
Louisiana 37 703

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,006
Recreation Administration 391

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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