Post job

Recreation teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a recreation teacher. Recreation teachers usually study psychology, early childhood education, or fine arts. 56% of recreation teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 125 real recreation teacher resumes to see exactly what recreation teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for recreation teachers are the Florida State College at Jacksonville and the Florida State College at Jacksonville.

There are also many online recreation teacher courses to help get the education required to be a recreation teacher.

What education do you need to become a recreation teacher?

What degree do you need to be a recreation teacher?

The most common degree for recreation teachers is bachelor's degree, with 56% of recreation teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 29% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Associate, 29%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a recreation teacher?

You should major in psychology to become a recreation teacher. 9% of recreation teachers major in psychology. Other common majors for a recreation teacher include early childhood education and fine arts.

Most common colleges for recreation teachers

Recreation teachers often get their degrees at Florida State College at Jacksonville, New Mexico State University, and Arkansas Baptist College. Here are the most common colleges for recreation teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Recreation teacher common collegePercentages
Florida State College at Jacksonville9.09%
New Mexico State University9.09%
Arkansas Baptist College4.55%
Siena Heights University4.55%
University of Connecticut4.55%

Best majors for recreation teachers

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology9.4%
2Early Childhood Education9.4%
3Fine Arts7.5%
4Liberal Arts7.5%
5Kinesiology7.5%

Best colleges for recreation teachers

The best colleges for recreation teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A recreation teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for recreation teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become recreation teachers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

10. University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,938

Enrollment

9,391

20 best online courses for recreation teachers

Advertising disclosure

1. Sit Less, Get Active

coursera

Physical inactivity and sedentariness are “silent killers”. Do you feel like you spend too much time sitting? Do you feel like you would like to be more active? Are you unsure about how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life? We are here to help. Join us on a journey to learn about how to sit less and become more active. Use this FREE course to learn how to monitor your own activity and set physical activity goals. We will feature various examples of how physical activity could...

2. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education

coursera

PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...

3. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs

udemy
4.5
(651)

Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...

4. Active Directory & Group Policy Lab

udemy
4.5
(11,596)

Learn REAL job skills and stack your resume with the experience you will gain in this course!...

5. ESG and Social Activism

coursera

In this course, you will get an overview of the impact of contemporary ESG ratings and how a company balances ESG issues against its financial performance. You will evaluate the effectiveness of corporate authenticity and the impacts of politics when building corporate ESG policy. You will also learn about social activism’s ability to disrupt markets, and the roles that stakeholders play when dealing with financial markets. Next, you will learn about corporate Boards, and the importance of...

6. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators

udemy
4.5
(5,027)

Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...

7. Active Directory on Windows Server

udemy
4.6
(8,804)

Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...

8. Azure Active Directory Masterclass

udemy
4.6
(1,270)

Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...

9. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell

udemy
4.5
(1,078)

[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...

10. Azure - Active Directory

udemy
4.1
(1,363)

Learn Azure as it pertains to Active Directory...

11. Mastering Group Policy on Windows Server

udemy
4.7
(2,427)

An IT person's guide to managing Active Directory Users and Computers with Group Policy...

12. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs

udemy
4.4
(283)

Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....

13. Azure Active Directory: An Introduction to Azure AD

udemy
4.5
(1,671)

An Intro to Azure AD through Interactive Labs, Video Demos, Lectures, Flashcards, & 200+ Downloadable Slides...

14. Active Directory Pentesting Full Course - Red Team Hacking

udemy
4.4
(546)

Attacking and Hacking Active Directory...

15. TOTAL: Active Directory with Windows Server 2016

udemy
4.6
(2,189)

Identity, Access, and Authentication with Microsoft AD and Identity with Windows Server 2016...

16. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services

udemy
4.5
(5,411)

Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...

17. SAP Activate Project Manager Masterclass (C_ACTIVATE_22/13)

udemy
4.5
(1,983)

Learn SAP Activate Methodology (Act100) Learn Agile Methodology (Act200) Based on Activate 22 and Activate 13...

18. Active Directory Pentesting With Kali Linux - Red Team

udemy
4.4
(295)

Attacking and Hacking Active Directory With Kali Linux Full Course - Red Team Hacking Pentesting...

19. Identity & Access Management - Azure Active Directory

udemy
4.5
(636)

Learn about Identity, Directory , SAML , OAUTH , Open ID Connect , Identity Security and Azure Active Directory...

20. Become an expert in the NEW Agile SAP Activate Methodology

udemy
4.3
(397)

Learn how to successfully implement SAP projects using the NEW Agile SAP Activate Methodology from top SAP experts...

Top 10 most affordable universities for recreation teachers

The most affordable schools for recreation teachers are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for recreation teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for recreation teachers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for recreation teachers

The hardest universities for recreation teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for recreation teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for recreation teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for recreation teachers

The easiest schools for recreation teachers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a recreation teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for recreation teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average recreation teacher salary by education level

According to our data, recreation teachers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,998 annually. Recreation teachers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $32,100.
Recreation teacher education levelRecreation teacher salary
Master's Degree$32,100
Doctorate Degree$34,998

Recreation teacher education FAQs

Search for recreation teacher jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse education, training, and library jobs