2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 152nd most popular in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 167 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,733 and $24,414 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 37 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$44,728 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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