# Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies

> A program that focuses on the principles underlying recreational and leisure activities, and the practices involved in providing indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and services for the general public.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/parks-recreation-and-leisure-studies
- CIP code: 31.01 (Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology)
- Colleges offering it: 120 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 25 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Associate's | 36 | $29,218 | $33,833 | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 120 | $38,844 | $49,418 | $19,213 |
| Master's | 25 | $44,655 | $58,001 | $28,875 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | San Luis Obispo, CA | $75,181 | $15,250 |
| [California State University-East Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-east-bay-368) | Hayward, CA | $68,227 | $12,500 |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Provo, UT | $63,080 | $10,780 |
| [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-main-campus-2927) | Champaign, IL | $61,313 | $16,000 |
| [University of Utah](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-utah-3069) | Salt Lake City, UT | $59,855 | $24,750 |
| [California State University-Chico](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-chico-366) | Chico, CA | $59,765 | $18,750 |
| [California State University-Sacramento](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-sacramento-375) | Sacramento, CA | $59,041 | $12,943 |
| [Indiana University-Bloomington](https://www.collegesref.com/college/indiana-university-bloomington-main-campus-1277) | Bloomington, IN | $57,334 | $15,000 |
| [University of Iowa](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-iowa-2929) | Iowa City, IA | $57,098 | $23,250 |
| [San Diego State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-diego-state-university-sdsu-2345) | San Diego, CA | $57,093 | not reported |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/recreation-and-fitness-studies-teachers-postsecondary): $77,270 median pay

## More in Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology

- [Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/sports-kinesiology-and-physical-education-fitness): 943 colleges
- [Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/parks-recreation-and-leisure-facilities-management): 110 colleges
- [Outdoor Education](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/outdoor-education): 30 colleges
- Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other: 18 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/