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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 72,122 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. 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 Colorado, there were 1,205 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,553 and $20,903 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 118 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,789 and $41,587 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Colorado

#1

Colorado State University - Fort Collins

Fort Collins, Colorado

#2 in overall quality

$28,055 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State University - Fort Collins are $28,055, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

#2

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$21,708 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Colorado. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

University of Northern Colorado did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Colorado are $21,708.

Full University of Northern Colorado Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#3

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado

#3 in overall quality

$10,551 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Adams State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Adams State is located in Alamosa, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Adams State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Adams State University are $10,551.

Full Adams State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado

$14,078 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado Mesa University landed the #4 spot on the list. Colorado Mesa University is located in Grand Junction, Colorado and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Colorado Mesa also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado Mesa University are $14,078, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness 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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >