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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

14 Colleges
$31,508 Avg Salary
$23,752 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Winona State carry an average student debtload of $25,447.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Mizzou accumulate an average of around $25,000 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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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwest Missouri State University is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.

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#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Iowa carry an average student debtload of $23,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $517, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Iowa Report

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#5

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $23,469.

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University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. UNOMAHA is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

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#7

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UNK accumulate an average of around $18,594 in student debt. 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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With a ranking of #9, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $24,125.

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#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. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the 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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