2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

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 Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 152nd most popular major in the country with 3,224 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,957 and had an average of $22,487 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 635 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,886 and $18,560 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 12 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, California

#1 in overall quality

$17,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#2

California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, California

#3 in overall quality

$18,356 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

#4 in overall quality

$17,944 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full SFSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#4

California State University - Chico

Chico, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,802 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 2 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Chico State are $18,802.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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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