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

13 Colleges in Missouri
1,355 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$29,909 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,355 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 Missouri 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. 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.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Missouri

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 Missouri Schools in Parks & Rec

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
32.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Maryville University of Saint Louis if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Maryville U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Maryville U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 49 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Maryville U in the most recent year we have data available. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Maryville University of Saint Louis get an earnings boost of approximately $10,671 above the average income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,388 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia 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 Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 120 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from University of Missouri - Columbia get an earnings boost of around $4,479 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

3
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,635 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out Lindenwood University. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #651 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lindenwood University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 128 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Lindenwood University in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Lindenwood University earn a boost of approximately $2,726 above the typical income of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies majors.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
24.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Central Missouri if you want to pursue a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 108 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Central Missouri make $6,124 more than the typical parks & rec student.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,721 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Fulton, Westminster Fulton is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 18 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Westminster Fulton in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn about $28,721 in their early career salary.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$36,386 Median Starting Salary

Northwest is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Maryville. A Best Colleges rank of #727 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwest is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Northwest in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies degree recipients from Northwest Missouri State University get an earnings boost of around $6,477 above the typical earnings of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$27,353 Median Starting Salary

Missouri State is a very large public university located in the city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.

There were about 149 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically make an average of $27,353 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
20.0% Growth in Graduates

MBU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 25th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 50 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at MBU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program make about $25,801 in the first couple years of their career.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
29.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 72 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Western in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Missouri Western State University earn $3,520 more than the standard parks & rec student.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$32,995 Median Starting Salary

Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public university located in the small city of Cape Girardeau. This university ranks 27th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 46 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Missouri State University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at Southeast Missouri State University get $3,086 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 710
Minnesota 38 1,137
Iowa 38 1,465
South Dakota 38 342
Nebraska 36 429
North Dakota 35 266

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,141
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 175
Recreation Administration 39

View All Parks & Rec Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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