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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in North Carolina

10 Ranked Colleges
246 Degrees Awarded
$39,702 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 North Carolina, there were 3,565 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,466 and $26,583 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, 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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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.

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

Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in North Carolina

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 15 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.Among the 30,092 students enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill, 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UNC Chapel Hill]](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/student-life/veterans/)

2
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

NC State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.Of the 36,042 students enrolled at NC State, 1,102 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 493 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,886. In addition to receiving other benefits, 27 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on veteran student life at NC State]](/colleges/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/student-life/veterans/)

3
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Greenville, North Carolina, and it awarded 32 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

ECU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.Among the 28,798 students enrolled at ECU, 8 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,409. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Greensboro, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.According to our most recent data, UNC Greensboro supports 19,764 students, and 885 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 329 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,723. To help with additional expenses, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full UNC Greensboro Veteran Student Life Report

5
Wingate crest
Wingate University
Wingate, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wingate University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Wingate University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wingate, North Carolina. It awarded 34 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Wingate also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #9.Of the 3,653 students enrolled at Wingate, 122 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,143. In addition to receiving other benefits, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Wingate offers 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%.

Full Wingate Veteran Student Life Report

6
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Boone, North Carolina, and it awarded 21 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Appalachian State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 780 of the 20,023 students enrolled at Appalachian State University were GI Bill® students, of which 393 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,464. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Appalachian State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Appalachian State University Veteran Student Life Report

7
WCU crest
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Western Carolina University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, this fairly large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, WCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.Among the 12,243 students enrolled at Western Carolina University, 439 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 182 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,242. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for 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 Western Carolina University]](/colleges/western-carolina-university/student-life/veterans/)

8
Gardner - Webb crest
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, North Carolina

Gardner - Webb University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Boiling Springs, North Carolina 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 6 students in 2020-2021.

Gardner - Webb did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list.Our most recent data shows that 138 of the 3,536 students enrolled at Gardner - Webb were GI Bill® students, of which 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,551. To help with additional expenses, 21 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 More…

9
North Carolina Central University crest
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

With a ranking of #9, North Carolina Central University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

North Carolina Central University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list.Of the 8,078 students enrolled at North Carolina Central University, 433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 124 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,618. To help with additional expenses, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. North Carolina Central University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at North Carolina Central University]](/colleges/north-carolina-central-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in North Carolina for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Wake Forest University has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking.According to our most recent data, Wake Forest University supports 8,789 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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