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Major · Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Kinesiology

A catchall code housing outdoor, therapeutic, and recreation tracks

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other (CIP 31.9999) is the concentration-wide catchall for programs that don’t fit a named CIP. About 308 students complete it across 20 institutions, with bachelor’s graduates earning around $41,681 — read the syllabus, not the CIP.

Schools offering
20
Annual completions
308
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$42k

About this major

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other (CIP 31.9999) is the concentration-wide catchall code universities use for programs that don’t fit any named CIP in the parks, recreation, kinesiology, and fitness family. The CIP definition is deliberately broad: any instructional program in parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology not listed above. In practice, this code houses programs that fall between Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (31.0101, 1,816 completions), Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management (31.0301, 1,676), and the kinesiology-side 31.0599 catchall (836 completions). Examples include outdoor and adventure-recreation tracks, therapeutic-recreation specializations, integrated health-and-wellness programs, and applied-recreation programs at smaller universities — but specific program content varies considerably by institution.

The major fits students drawn to recreation, outdoor work, fitness, or kinesiology who land at a school where the program is administratively grouped under this catchall rather than a named CIP. It rewards comfort with stakeholder-facing work — campers, fitness clients, public-park visitors, therapeutic-recreation patients — and the willingness to plan a credentialing path keyed to a specific career destination. CTRS gates therapeutic recreation; CPRP signals readiness for municipal parks work; NOLS or AMGA-aligned training opens outdoor leadership.

One grounded observation about scale and concentration: 308 students complete this CIP across 20 institutions, with Utah Valley University producing 177 graduates — about 57% of national output — split across 101 associate’s and 76 bachelor’s degrees. Northwestern Oklahoma State University (44 bachelor’s), Chadron State College (22), and Howard University (16) round out the top producers. Bachelor’s graduates earn $41,681 in five-year tracked wages, at the lower end of the bachelor’s wage distribution and consistent with public-sector parks-and-recreation pay scales. The packet doesn’t list specific BLS career destinations, common with catchall codes — realistic landings include municipal parks-and-recreation coordinator, outdoor-education instructor, campus-recreation staff, and event/program coordinator at nonprofits and public agencies.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$42k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if your target program slots a focused track you actually want — outdoor recreation, therapeutic recreation, adventure tourism, integrated health-and-wellness — under this catchall rather than a named CIP, you’ve checked the catalog and the curriculum matches what you expect (read the syllabus, not the CIP code), public-sector or nonprofit pay near the $41,681 bachelor’s median fits your expectations, you’re willing to stack the certifications that gate the named tracks (CTRS for therapeutic recreation, CPRP for municipal parks, Wilderness First Responder for outdoor leadership), and Utah Valley University, Northwestern Oklahoma State, or another listed school is genuinely your best fit on cost, location, and program substance.

Think twice if a named CIP is offered at a school you can attend — Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (31.0101, 1,816 completions), Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management (31.0301, 1,676), or Sports/Kinesiology/PE Other (31.0599, 836) all give larger, more standardized credentials with clearer employer recognition for the public-recreation and kinesiology-adjacent roles in this concentration. Reconsider if the program at your school doesn’t articulate cleanly to CTRS eligibility (for therapeutic-recreation goals) or to CPRP-prep (for municipal-parks goals), since the credential signal of 31.9999 alone is weak. Pause if the wage profile doesn’t match your expectations — the $41,681 bachelor’s median in the data is at the lower end of bachelor’s earnings nationally, and the absence of named BLS career destinations means employer mapping is genuinely scattered.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Utah Valley University Orem, UT 101 76 177
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva, OK 0 44 44
Chadron State College Chadron, NE 0 22 22
Howard University Washington, DC 0 16 16
Plymouth State University Plymouth, NH 0 14 14
Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD 12 0 12
Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO 7 0 7
Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC 0 7 7
San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA 4 0 4
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH 2 0 2
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies

1,816 completions/yr

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General

1,676 completions/yr

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, Other

836 completions/yr

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, Other

1 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this catchall CIP actually cover?
The CIP definition is deliberately broad: any instructional program in parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology not listed above. In practice, this code houses programs that don’t map cleanly to Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (31.0101), Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management (31.0301), or the Sports/Kinesiology/PE/Fitness families (31.0501, 31.0507, 31.0508, 31.0599). Common examples include outdoor and adventure-recreation programs, therapeutic-recreation specializations, integrated health-and-wellness programs, and applied-recreation tracks at smaller universities. Specific program content varies considerably by institution — read the catalog, not the CIP code.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
The packet doesn’t list specific BLS occupations, common with catchall codes where graduates scatter across many SOC destinations. Realistic destinations follow program focus: municipal parks-and-recreation coordinator (often a civil-service entry around $42,000–$52,000), outdoor-education or wilderness instructor (NOLS, Outward Bound, summer-camp programs), adventure-tourism guide, fitness-facility manager, university campus-recreation staff, and sports/event coordinator. Bachelor’s graduates earn $41,681 in five-year tracked wages — at the lower end of the bachelor’s wage distribution and consistent with public-sector parks-and-recreation pay scales. Therapeutic-recreation roles in healthcare typically require CTRS certification on top of the bachelor’s.
How does this compare to named CIPs in the concentration?
Named siblings are dramatically larger. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (CIP 31.0101) at 1,816 completions is the broad public-recreation umbrella. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General (31.0301) at 1,676 is the operations-and-facilities track. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, Other (31.0599) at 836 is the kinesiology-side catchall. The 31.9999 concentration-wide catchall sits at 308 — a small fraction. If your target is public recreation, parks operations, kinesiology, or sports management, the named CIPs offer larger, more standardized credentials with clearer employer recognition.
Why does Utah Valley University dominate the school list?
Utah Valley University produces 177 graduates — about 57% of all national completions in this CIP — split across 101 associate’s and 76 bachelor’s degrees. UVU appears to slot one of its outdoor-recreation or integrated-program tracks under 31.9999 rather than under a named CIP. Northwestern Oklahoma State University (44 bachelor’s), Chadron State College (22 bachelor’s), Howard University (16), and Plymouth State University in New Hampshire (14) round out the top tier. Most other listed schools produce fewer than 15 completions per year, and the credential signal differs sharply by institution.
Is this a viable path for therapeutic recreation or municipal parks work?
Possibly, depending on program-specific coursework and certification alignment. Therapeutic-recreation roles in healthcare require CTRS certification (Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist), which has its own NCTRC-approved curriculum and internship-hours requirements — verify your 31.9999 program articulates to CTRS eligibility. Municipal parks-and-recreation coordinator positions often prefer or require CPRP (Certified Park and Recreation Professional) from NRPA, which any related bachelor’s can prepare for. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (31.0101, 1,816 completions) and Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management (31.0301, 1,676) are the more standardized credentials for these tracks if your school offers them.
Should I treat this as a bachelor’s or associate’s credential?
The packet lists both associate’s and bachelor’s degree levels, but the available wage signal only tracks bachelor’s graduates at $41,681 — there’s no associate’s earnings figure in the data. Utah Valley University is the only sizable associate’s producer at 101 completions; most other schools award only bachelor’s degrees. If you’re using this CIP as a stepping stone, the associate’s makes sense at a community-college program with a clear transfer path into a named CIP at a four-year. For terminal-bachelor’s entry into parks, outdoor, or recreation work, expect public-sector pay scales near the $41,681 figure rather than higher fitness-industry medians.