2024 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a Master's Degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. It is ranked #211 out of 343 major degree programs in terms of popularity. This may make is a little harder to find a school that is a good fit for you.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of parks, recreation & leisure studies. Combined, these schools handed out 16 master's degrees in parks, recreation & leisure studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to parks, recreation & leisure studies students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation & leisure studies students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt parks, recreation & leisure studies students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation & leisure studies related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation & leisure studies students working on their master's degree.

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 the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southwest Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies.

Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Parks & Rec

1

Arizona State University - Tempe
Tempe, AZ

6 Annual Graduates

Arizona State University - Tempe is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Arizona State University - Tempe

1

Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ

3 Annual Graduates

Northern Arizona University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a master's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. NAU is a very large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Northern Arizona University

2

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
Stillwater, OK

7 Annual Graduates

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in parks, recreation & leisure studies from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation & leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Texas	235	0
Arizona	180	9
Oklahoma	153	7

View All Rankings >

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Related Rankings by Major

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Parks & Rec Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies	16

Most Popular Majors Related to Parks & Rec

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education	1,066
Recreation Administration	31
Outdoor Education	7

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.