Best Recreation programs in Wisconsin, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management.
20 schools in Wisconsin run programs that feed this job, graduating 526 people a year. The job pays a median of $80,500 in Wisconsin across about 40 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Wisconsin (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Wisconsin page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 13.1314In Wisconsin → | 266 | 50.6% | 12 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 2 | CIP 31.0504In Wisconsin → | 210 | 39.9% | 14 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 3 | CIP 31.0501In Wisconsin → | 50 | 9.5% | 4 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
Top 20 schools in Wisconsin
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $39,673 | 57% | — | 82% |
| 2 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 3 feeder programs | 52 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $29,866 | 90% | — | 45% |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $30,655 | 40% | — | 75% |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $42,256 | 59% | — | 86% |
| 5 | University of Wisconsin - Superior Superior, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 42% | — | 93% |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $44,161 | 46% | — | 87% |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 38 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $46,027 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $40,005 | 51% | — | 92% |
| 9 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $33,333 | 71% | $22,601 | 67% |
| 10 | Concordia University - Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,522 | 68% | $24,409 | 78% |
| 11 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $36,638 | 64% | $22,844 | 87% |
| 12 | Ripon College Ripon, WI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 21 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $29,768 | 63% | $19,267 | 80% |
| 13 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 64% | $19,138 | 78% |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $43,242 | 64% | — | 82% |
| 15 | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $41,427 | 42% | $20,767 | 86% |
| 16 | Marian University Fond Du Lac, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 44% | $22,627 | 75% |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 48% | — | 89% |
| 18 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 68% | $20,655 | 72% |
| 19 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 83% | $25,376 | 81% |
| 20 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 64% | $25,239 | 72% |
All 20 schools in Wisconsin
Every school in Wisconsin with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin - River Falls | River Falls | Public | 55 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison | Public | 52 | 3 |
| University of Wisconsin - Parkside | Kenosha | Public | 51 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater | Public | 47 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Superior | Superior | Public | 42 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh | Public | 41 | 2 |
| University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville | Public | 38 | 2 |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point | Public | 32 | 2 |
| Carroll University | Waukesha | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 2 |
| Concordia University - Wisconsin | Mequon | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 2 |
| Carthage College | Kenosha | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Ripon College | Ripon | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 3 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College | Milwaukee | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Public | 14 | 1 |
| Lakeland University | Plymouth | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
What recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary earn in Wisconsin
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $77,270. Wisconsin pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Recreation
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Wisconsin
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.1314Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- 31.0101Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
- 31.0501Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General
- 31.0504Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- 31.0508Sports Studies
Common questions
Answers for people weighing recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary programs in Wisconsin.
What degree do you need to become a Recreation?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Physical Education Teaching and Coaching, which awarded 266 degrees in Wisconsin in 2024-25, 50.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Recreation?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Sports. Together they graduate about 526 people a year in Wisconsin.
How much do recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary earn in Wisconsin?+
The median is $80,500 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.2% above the U.S. median of $77,270. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Wisconsin?+
20 institutions in Wisconsin reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Physical Education Professor (PE Professor), Health and Physical Education Professor (HPE Professor) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1193.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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