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

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.

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 town of Maryville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest are $14,919 per year.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Winona State University is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Winona State are $16,684 per year.

Winona State also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Nebraska at Kearney is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant 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.

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#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNI are $19,753 a 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.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emporia State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 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.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ESU are $14,918 per year.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Southeast Missouri State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Plains States Region . Southeast Missouri State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the 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 came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pitt State are $19,088 a 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 fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.

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

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Missouri State University - Springfield 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. 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.

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#10

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.

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

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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.

  • 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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