by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 53 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 7,024 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The parks & rec bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is hard to beat San Diego State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Diego State University
San Francisco State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from San Francisco State University
It is difficult to beat Washington State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Wazzu is a fairly large public university located in the town of Pullman.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Washington State University
California State University - Long Beach is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Long Beach
Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Saint Mary’s College of California
Sac State is a very large public university located in the large city of Sacramento.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Sacramento
Located in the midsize city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Oregon State University
Chico State is a large public university located in the midsize city of Chico.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Chico
Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fullerton.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from California State University - Fullerton
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 12 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 13 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 14 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 15 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 16 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 17 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 37 | 6,426 |
| Washington | 34 | 510 |
| Hawaii | 30 | 159 |
| Oregon | 30 | 532 |
| Nevada | 30 | 253 |
| Alaska | 29 | 26 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 6,522 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 492 |
| Recreation Administration | 10 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 3,812 |