2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Missouri

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 in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 166th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,801 and had an average of $23,333 in loans still to pay off.

Across Missouri, there were 175 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,788 and $23,046 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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 in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Missouri

1

Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, Missouri

#2 in overall quality

$10,608 Average Net Price

$37,439 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Missouri State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Maryville, Missouri that handed out 29 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our missouri parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northwest has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Missouri” ranking. It costs about $10,608 for missouri parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwest.

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

2

University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$11,386 Average Net Price

$46,901 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 116 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Missouri” list. It costs about $11,386 for missouri parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

#4 in overall quality

$11,406 Average Net Price

$35,626 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Missouri State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized school located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri that handed out 11 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Southeast Missouri State University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Missouri” ranking. It costs about $11,406 for Missouri Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southeast Missouri State University.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeast Missouri State University

4

Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$13,144 Average Net Price

$40,472 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri State University - Springfield. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Missouri For Those Making $30-$48k list. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 13 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Missouri” ranking. It costs about $13,144 for missouri parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Missouri State.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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

• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value 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.