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

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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 2023 rankings named Winona State University the best school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Missouri State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Maryville.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northwest Missouri State University

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Missouri - Columbia helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Plains States Region . Mizzou is a very large public school located in the medium-sized 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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia

#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 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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly 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 came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.

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University of Nebraska at Kearney ranked #7 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a moderately-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

#8

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

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

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school 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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#10

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

With a ranking of #10, Lindenwood University did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. 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 colleges 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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