2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation and leisure studies programs and cost less that 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in California

#1

California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, California

#1 in overall quality

$17,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#2

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 that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #2 spot on the 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Chico are $18,802, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, California

#3 in overall quality

$18,356 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #3 spot on the list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sac State are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in California. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 2 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

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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