2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k” 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,643 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,100 and $19,813 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 81 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,967 and $17,711 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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

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 an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k”.

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. 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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 2 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

Utah Valley University

Orem, Utah

#1 in overall quality

$12,141 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah Valley University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UVU is a public institution located in Orem, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UVU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,141 for Rocky Mountains Region Associate Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UVU.

Full Utah Valley University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#2

Intellitec College - Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, Colorado

#2 in overall quality

$22,333 Average Net Price

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Intellitec College - Colorado Springs landed the #2 spot on the list. Intellitec College - Colorado Springs is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 associates’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Intellitec College - Colorado Springs, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $22,333 for rocky mountains region associate degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Intellitec College - Colorado Springs.

Full Intellitec College - Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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.

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