2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Colorado (With Aid)

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Colorado For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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 Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Master’s in Colorado For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Colorado (With Aid)

#1

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$21,708 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Colorado landed the #1 spot on the list. Greeley, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Northern Colorado, the school also landed the #1 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 University of Northern Colorado are $21,708.

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

#2

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #2 spot on the list. Colorado State is a large public school situated in Fort Collins, Colorado. It awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#3

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado

#3 in overall quality

$10,551 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Adams State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado For Those Getting Aid. This small school is located in Alamosa, Colorado, and it awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Adams State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Adams State University are $10,551, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado Mesa University landed the #4 spot on the list. Colorado Mesa is a medium-sized school located in Grand Junction, Colorado that handed out 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our colorado master’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, Colorado Mesa has also earned the #0 rank 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 Colorado Mesa are $14,078.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (With Aid)

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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