2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Southwest Region
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” 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 the Southwest region, there were 9,967 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,090 and $22,308 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,822 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 68 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern Oklahoma State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. NWOSU is a public institution located in Alva, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NWOSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NWOSU is $9,791 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Full NWOSU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 68 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin landed the #2 spot on the list. UT Permian Basin is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Permian Basin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,092 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend UT Permian Basin.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Permian Basin
Out of the 68 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, West Texas A&M University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Canyon, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,761 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend West Texas A&M University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Texas A&M University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region. Southwestern Oklahoma State University is a small school located in Weatherford, Oklahoma that handed out 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Southwestern Oklahoma State University is $12,891 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tarleton State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region. This fairly large school is located in Stephenville, Texas, and it awarded 222 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Tarleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,979 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Tarleton State University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Tarleton
With a ranking of #6, East Central University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Ada, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,334 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend ECU.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at ECU
With a ranking of #7, Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Durant, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $8,237 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
MSU Texas ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. MSU Texas is a medium-sized school located in Wichita Falls, Texas that handed out 28 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend MSU Texas is $10,045 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MSU Texas
Texas Tech University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 349 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $17,571 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Texas Tech.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Tech University
Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 141 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,617 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend SHSU.
Full SHSU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 305 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Rio Grande Valley
University of Houston came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 439 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
UH also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,838 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend UH.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Houston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. University of Houston - Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, UH Clear Lake has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,612 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend UH Clear Lake.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UH Clear Lake
University of North Texas landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 308 students in 2019-2020.
UNT also took the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,086 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend UNT.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Texas
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 355 students in 2019-2020.
UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,853 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Texas Woman’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, TWU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $9,617 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at TWU
Texas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 551 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $15,230 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas State University
With a ranking of #18, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Edmond, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.
UCO also took the #24 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Oklahoma is $16,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Central Oklahoma
Northeastern State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. NSU is a medium-sized school located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that handed out 69 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Northeastern State University is $9,994 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Northeastern State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 228 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Grand Canyon University is $21,020 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Grand Canyon University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Angelo State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Angelo State is $13,819 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Angelo State
With a ranking of #22, Cameron University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Cameron University is a small school located in Lawton, Oklahoma that handed out 45 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cameron University is $7,952 for southwest region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cameron University
With a ranking of #23, Oklahoma Panhandle State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Goodwell, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for OPSU is $10,537 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at OPSU
Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 146 students in 2019-2020.
SFASU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFASU is $13,723 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SFASU
Lamar University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar University is a public institution located in Beaumont, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $12,311 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Lamar University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
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