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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
675 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 72,122 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,823 and had an average of $24,576 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,352 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,766 and $23,636 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 675 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567.

Full Northwestern Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 65 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SIUE

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 38 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, EIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at EIU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 78 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.

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

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, NIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full Northern Illinois University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, SIUC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 74 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Illinois University

#10

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 257 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Chicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Chicago

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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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