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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k)

16 Ranked Colleges
158 Degrees Awarded
$23,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master's For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 3,224 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 191st most popular in the United States.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 158 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation and leisure studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 16 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k)

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 29 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 23 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at IU Bloomington

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Sac State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#6

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#7 in overall quality

University of Utah landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. U of U is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Utah

#9 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at OSU are $23,963, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#8

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York
#4 in overall quality

SUNY Cortland ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Cortland, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, SUNY Cortland has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SUNY Cortland are $24,707.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortland

#10 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#10

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon
#14 in overall quality

Southern Oregon University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Ashland, Oregon, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Southern Oregon University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Oregon University are $23,445.

Full Southern Oregon University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#11

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

East Carolina University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. East Carolina University is a large school located in Greenville, North Carolina that handed out 9 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

ECU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at ECU are $20,685.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at East Carolina University

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, SFSU has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944.

Full San Francisco State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#13

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#12 in overall quality

Northern Arizona University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northern Arizona University is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NAU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Arizona University are $19,489, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northern Arizona University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

California State University - Chico ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Chico State also took the #0 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Chico are $18,802.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico

#5 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

OHIO Athens also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio University - Athens Campus are $17,712.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#16

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

University of Toledo landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 19 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, University of Toledo has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Toledo are $27,067, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Toledo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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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.

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