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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

14 Colleges
$31,256 Avg Salary
$23,333 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the #169 most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in the Plains States Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Winona State University to be the best school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State University Report

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Out of the 14 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Missouri State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Missouri - Columbia is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec majors at Mizzou accumulate an average of around $22,468 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $277.

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#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $22,350.

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#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $517, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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University of Nebraska at Omaha ranked #6 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

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University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation and leisure studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UNK take out $18,511 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $133, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report

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#8

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation and leisure studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from UMN Twin Cities carry an average student debtload of $21,912.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

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#10

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation and leisure studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.

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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 175
Minnesota 64
Kansas 25
Iowa 113
Nebraska 63
North Dakota 0
South Dakota 0

One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Recreation Administration 3,122
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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