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

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$20,582 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,256 Avg Salary

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 14 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

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

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

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northwest are $14,919 a year.

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

Winona State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,684 in tuition and fees each year.

Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

UNK undergraduate students pay an average of $15,320 in tuition and fees each year. 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.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Nebraska at Kearney

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value 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 school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $19,753 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $22,350.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNI also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Emporia State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. ESU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Emporia.

ESU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,918 in tuition and fees each year.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Missouri State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Southeast Missouri State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Cape Girardeau.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $15,285 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Southeast Missouri State University take out an average of $22,659 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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#7

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the distant town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Pitt State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,088 in tuition and fees each year.

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With a ranking of #8, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UNOMAHA is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNOMAHA are $21,718 a year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Missouri State are $16,498 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Missouri State University - Springfield Report

#10

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.

Lindenwood University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,640 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lindenwood University Report

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.

  • 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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