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

16 Colleges in Minnesota
1,184 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,166 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Minnesota ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,184 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 Minnesota 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

Bachelor's Degrees in Parks & Rec
Master'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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota

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 Minnesota Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$31,234 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 124 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities 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 $31,234.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$37,539 Median Starting Salary

Minnesota State University - Mankato is a good option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #351 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were about 175 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato make $5,373 more than the average parks & rec grad.

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

3

Saint Cloud State University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 21 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at St. Cloud State University in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Saint Cloud State University receive an earnings boost of around $4,799 over the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,557 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Gustavus Adolphus College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Saint Peter. This college ranks 29th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 29 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Gustavus Adolphus in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career income of $33,557.

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

5
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
97 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$35,395 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Winona State is a great university overall.

There were about 97 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Winona State University make $3,229 more than the standard parks & rec student.

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

6

Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #391 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bethel University Minnesota is a great university overall.

There were roughly 24 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Bethel University Minnesota in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Bethel University Minnesota receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,720 over the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
23.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 44th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 198 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Saint Paul in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Concordia University, Saint Paul earn $4,676 more than the standard parks & rec grad.

More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Concordia University, Saint Paul

8
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,564 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were roughly 23 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $30,564 at the beginning of their careers.

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

9
Crown crest
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN

Located in the rural area of Saint Bonifacius, Crown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 38th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 15 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Crown in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,035.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
9.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 25th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 41 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make an average of $33,771 in their early career salary.

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

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
Kansas 38 710
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 1,026
Recreation Administration 71
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 64
Outdoor Education 23

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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