2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s
7
Ranked Colleges
419
Degrees Awarded
$40,659
Avg Salary
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 Virginia 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 Virginia, there were 1,741 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,990 and $25,658 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
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 Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s”.
Top 7 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 21,594 students enrolled at JMU, 842 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 464 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,824. During this same period, 3 students qualified for 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at James Madison University]](/colleges/james-madison-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 35 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 24,286 students enrolled at Old Dominion University 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Old Dominion]](/colleges/old-dominion-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 206 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Among the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. To help with additional expenses, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 33 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1.Of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia, 3 were 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.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Virginia]](/colleges/university-of-virginia-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 2,334 of the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University were GI Bill® students, of which 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. On top of their other funding sources, 42 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. George Mason 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 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%.
Full George Mason University Veteran Student Life Report
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 47 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 29,070 students enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Virginia Commonwealth University 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 VCU Veteran Student Life Report
Hampton University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking. Hampton University is a small school located in Hampton, Virginia that handed out 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Hampton also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7.According to our most recent data, Hampton University supports 3,516 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 24 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,739. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds 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 Hampton]](/colleges/hampton-university/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
North Carolina
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in North Carolina
Alabama
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Alabama
Georgia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Georgia
Louisiana
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Louisiana
South Carolina
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in South Carolina
Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
West Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in West Virginia
Kentucky
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
Tennessee
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee
Mississippi
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Mississippi
Florida
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Florida
Arkansas
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges for Veterans in Arkansas
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools in Virginia
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in the state of Virginia
Highest Paid Master's Degree Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduates in Virginia
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in Virginia
Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in Virginia
Best Value Master's Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in Virginia
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies students in Virginia
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
college factual
