College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

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

7 Colleges in Mississippi
1,128 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,783 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 7 schools in Mississippi to determine which ones were the best for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,128 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi. 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 Mississippi

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.

Top Mississippi Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
232 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Mississippi is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Ole Miss is a very large public university located in the town of University. A Best Colleges rank of #361 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ole Miss is a great university overall.

There were approximately 232 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Ole Miss in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn about $24,639 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
310 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Mississippi State University. Located in the remote town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #284 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mississippi State is a great university overall.

There were about 310 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mississippi State in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Mississippi State University earn a boost of approximately $3,231 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
4.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern Mississippi is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were approximately 206 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Southern Miss in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients usually make around $27,180 at the beginning of their careers.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$24,976 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Mississippi College if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. MC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Clinton. A Best Colleges rank of #644 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 61 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MC in the most recent data year. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $24,976 in their early careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,261 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Jackson, Belhaven is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were roughly 50 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Belhaven in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Belhaven University get an earnings boost of around $4,478 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

6
William Carey University crest
William Carey University
Hattiesburg, MS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,292 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Hattiesburg, William Carey University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #634 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means William Carey University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William Carey University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn around $27,292 in the first five years of their career.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,221 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

MUW is a small public university located in the town of Columbus. This university ranks 6th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were about 25 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MUW 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 earnings of $21,221.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Mississippi University for Women

7

Jackson State is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Jackson. This university ranks 11th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were roughly 30 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Jackson State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Jackson State University make $4,793 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 Jackson State University

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

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges 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
South Carolina 38 1,336
Florida 38 2,335
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 1,050
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 45
Recreation Administration 33

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options