2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 255 people earned their degree in outdoor education, making the major the 314th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, outdoor education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $0 and had an average of $0 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 21 outdoor education graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in outdoor education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great outdoor education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree outdoor ed students.

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education

#1

Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$8,788 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$33,993 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s outdoor ed students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Minnesota State Mankato, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Minnesota State Mankato are $8,788.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Minnesota State Mankato

#2

Plymouth State University

Plymouth, New Hampshire

#1 in overall quality

$14,550 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Plymouth State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Master’s. Plymouth State University is a small school located in Plymouth, New Hampshire that handed out 9 masters’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Plymouth State also made our “Best Outdoor Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Plymouth State are $14,550, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Plymouth State

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to SLenartowicz.

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