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

11 Colleges in Tennessee
2,462 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,291 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.

College Factual reviewed 11 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,462 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 Tennessee 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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Tennessee list to help you make the college decision. 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 Tennessee

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 Tennessee Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
414 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$30,686 Median Starting Salary

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were roughly 414 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $30,686.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
212 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,518 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Middle Tennessee State University if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Murfreesboro. This university ranks 12th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 212 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Middle Tennessee State University receive $5,227 more than the standard parks & rec student.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
545 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
20.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies needs to look into University of Memphis. UofM is a very large public university located in the city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were roughly 545 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Memphis receive an earnings boost of around $2,879 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
167 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$28,342 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out East Tennessee State University. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were about 167 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $28,342 in their early careers.

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

5
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,259 Median Starting Salary

Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #206 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.

There were roughly 79 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career income of $29,259.

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

6
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,224 Median Starting Salary

Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Jefferson City. A Best Colleges rank of #795 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Carson - Newman is a great university overall.

There were about 37 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Carson - Newman in the most recent data year. After graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make an average of $29,224 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Carson - Newman University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
207 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 207 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career earnings of $26,326.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,760 Median Starting Salary

Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the midsize city of Clarksville. This university ranks 29th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 182 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Austin Peay State University get an earnings boost of around $4,469 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,903 Median Starting Salary

Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Cookeville. This university ranks 20th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 108 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee Tech University 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 $31,903.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$26,208 Median Starting Salary

Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Nashville. This university ranks 28th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 54 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee State University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $26,208 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Tennessee 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
Mississippi 38 1,121
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
Louisiana 37 703

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 2,405
Recreation Administration 52
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 2

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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