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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

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 $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and 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 $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#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 $48-$75k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, 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 Urbana-Champaign

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, SIUE has also earned the #8 rank 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SIUE

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 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 $48-$75k list, EIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Illinois University are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#6

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 257 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

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

#6 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. SIUC 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.

SIUC also took the #6 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

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

#9

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#10

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 74 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996.

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

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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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