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

10 Colleges in Kansas
714 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,485 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Kansas ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 714 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 Kansas Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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

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 Kansas list to help you make the college decision. 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 Kansas

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.

10 Top Kansas Schools in Parks & Rec

1
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
214 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Kansas is a good option for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 214 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $28,152 in the first couple years of their career.

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

2
Tabor crest
Tabor College
Hillsboro, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,215 Median Starting Salary

Tabor College is a great decision for students interested in a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the remote town of Hillsboro, Tabor is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. This college ranks 24th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 16 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Tabor in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $30,215.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,322 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Pittsburg State University if you wish to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the distant town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 11th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 42 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Pitt State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies major at Pittsburg State University make $5,837 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,368 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Kansas State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. K -State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Manhattan. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 22 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at K -State 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 $29,368.

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

5
McPherson College crest
McPherson College
McPherson, KS

McPherson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of McPherson. This college ranks 30th out of 47 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 17 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at McPherson College 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 income of $23,145.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,328 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of McPherson, Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were approximately 12 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Christian College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Central Christian College of Kansas earn $4,843 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 Central Christian College of Kansas

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$33,915 Median Starting Salary

WSU is a large public university located in the large city of Wichita. A Best Colleges rank of #663 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 76 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at WSU in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Wichita State University earn a boost of around $4,430 over the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,653 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Olathe, MNU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 16th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 21 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MNU 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 $29,653.

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

8
Sterling College crest
Sterling College
Sterling, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,167 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the rural area of Sterling, Sterling College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 15 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Sterling College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $25,167 in their early career salary.

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

9

ESU is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Emporia. A Best Colleges rank of #781 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ESU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 8 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at ESU in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Emporia State University get an earnings boost of approximately $2,177 over the average earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 38 1,137
Iowa 38 1,465
South Dakota 38 342
Missouri 38 1,326
Nebraska 36 429
North Dakota 35 266

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 663
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 29
Recreation Administration 22

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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