by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,423 and had an average of $24,388 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,772 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,911 and $19,677 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 229 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,301 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree parks & rec students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Adams State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region. Adams State is located in Alamosa, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Adams State University
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 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region. This fairly large school is located in Greeley, Colorado, and it awarded 75 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Northern Colorado Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 16 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado Mesa University landed the #3 spot on the list. Colorado Mesa University is a medium-sized school located in Grand Junction, Colorado that handed out 12 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Colorado Mesa
Out of the 16 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Utah University landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cedar City, Utah, and it awarded 15 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Utah University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boise State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Boise State is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Boise State University
University of Wyoming came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wyoming Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Idaho came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Moscow, Idaho is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at U of I
With a ranking of #8, University of Denver did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Denver, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at DU
University of Utah ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Utah
With a ranking of #10, Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Colorado State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Montana State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Bozeman, Montana, and it awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Montana State University
With a ranking of #12, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 9 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full BYU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Utah State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 1 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at USU
The University of Montana ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. The University of Montana is a fairly large public school situated in Missoula, Montana. It awarded 1 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Montana
Idaho State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This fairly large school is located in Pocatello, Idaho, and it awarded 0 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Idaho State University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 0 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UCCS Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
