2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southwest Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

Across the Southwest region, there were 323 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 189 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southwest Region

#1

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Durant, Oklahoma

#2 in overall quality

$8,237 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeastern Oklahoma State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized school located in Durant, Oklahoma that handed out 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $8,237 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#2

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

#5 in overall quality

$10,045 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, MSU Texas landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, MSU Texas has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSU Texas is $10,045 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at MSU Texas

#3

University of Central Oklahoma

Edmond, Oklahoma

#3 in overall quality

$16,562 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Oklahoma. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Edmond, Oklahoma, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UCO also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UCO is $16,562 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full UCO Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#4

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

#4 in overall quality

$12,915 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Arizona University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

NAU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $12,915 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at NAU

#5

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

Stillwater, Oklahoma

#1 in overall quality

$14,648 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. OSU is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,648 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend OSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

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.

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >