2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” ranking.

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 the Plains States region, there were 444 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,508 and $23,752 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 9 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,401 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation and leisure studies.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 4 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Plains States Region

1

University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

#25 overall quality in Plains States

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 University of Northern Iowa

2

Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Missouri State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution located in Maryville, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northwest Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#4 overall quality in Plains States

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3

University of South Dakota
Vermillion, South Dakota

Out of the 4 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Dakota landed the #3 spot on the list. University of South Dakota is a medium-sized public school situated in Vermillion, South Dakota. It awarded 0 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at USD

• Most Focused 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

• *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.