2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” 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 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 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 $30-$48k” 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, California

#1 in overall quality

$17,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784.

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

#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 $30-$48k. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sac State are $18,356, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Sac State

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

#4 in overall quality

$17,944 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 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 San Francisco State University are $17,944.

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

#4

California State University - Chico

Chico, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,802 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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s 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 California State University - Chico are $18,802.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Chico State

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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 >