2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate” 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.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 14 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#2

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

#2 in overall quality

$24,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #2 spot on the list. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 4 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at U of U

#3

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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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