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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region

10 Ranked Colleges
229 Degrees Awarded
$41,699 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs as well as strong veteran support.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s”.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region

1
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Utah is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U of U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 33,081 students enrolled at U of U were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Colorado State is a public institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Colorado State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #4.According to our most recent data, Colorado State supports 32,428 students, and 1,606 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,183 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,701. On top of their other funding sources, 68 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boise State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Boise State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,134 of the 24,069 students enrolled at Boise State University were GI Bill® students, of which 798 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,559. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Boise State University]](/colleges/boise-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

4
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UW also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Among the 11,829 students enrolled at UW, 473 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 255 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,738. In addition to receiving other benefits, 13 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full UW Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Colorado. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Greeley, Colorado, and it awarded 75 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, University of Northern Colorado has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Among the 11,460 students enrolled at University of Northern Colorado, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Northern Colorado does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

6
U of I crest
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. University of Idaho is a fairly large public school situated in Moscow, Idaho. It awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 382 of the 10,791 students enrolled at U of I were GI Bill® students, of which 248 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,784. During this same period, 29 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. U of I does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Read More…

7
Colorado Mesa crest
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, Colorado

Colorado Mesa University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking. Located in Grand Junction, Colorado, this medium-sized public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Colorado Mesa also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #9.According to our most recent data, Colorado Mesa supports 9,110 students, and 439 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 196 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,707. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Colorado Mesa offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Colorado Mesa University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Southern Utah University crest
Southern Utah University
Cedar City, Utah

Southern Utah University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Cedar City, Utah, and it awarded 15 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Southern Utah University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Among the 12,582 students enrolled at Southern Utah University, 534 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 378 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $24,076. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Southern Utah University Veteran Student Life Report

9

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #9. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Among the 36,461 students enrolled at Brigham Young University - Provo, 368 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 220 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,856. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

10
Adams State crest
Adams State University
Alamosa, Colorado

Adams State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking. Alamosa, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

Adams State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #8.Of the 3,164 students enrolled at Adams State University, 142 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 98 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,465. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Adams State University]](/colleges/adams-state-college/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

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