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2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Illinois

17 Ranked Colleges
755 Degrees Awarded
$41,634 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Illinois, there were 2,442 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,264 and $24,988 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 755 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 17 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s”.

1
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Concordia University, Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 300 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Concordia University, Chicago

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students 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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Illinois State

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Full SIUE Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

4
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 62 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

5

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

6

Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full WIU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

7

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

8
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full EIU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

9

Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at NIU

10
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

11
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Adler University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Adler is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 15 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Adler Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

12
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 DePaul

13

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 University of Illinois at Chicago

14
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Central

15

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

16
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #16. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

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

17
Benedictine U crest
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Benedictine University is a small school located in Lisle, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 Benedictine U Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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