2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in the Southwest Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for parks and rec students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Best Southwest Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies
Our analysis found Arizona State University - Skysong to be the best value school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.
ASU - Skysong undergraduate students pay an average of $13,092 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $24,363 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ASU - Skysong also is in the top 10% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means MSU Texas is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Wichita Falls.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU Texas are $11,726 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Durant, Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeastern Oklahoma State University are $15,870 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Report
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Out of the 8 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Texas A&M College Station are $38,855 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Texas A&M College Station accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.
Texas A&M College Station also took the #4 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.
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The excellent programs at University of Central Oklahoma helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Southwest Region . UCO is a large public school located in the suburb of Edmond.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCO are $18,917 per year.
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Northern Arizona University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public college with a very large student population.
NAU undergraduate students pay an average of $17,761 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from NAU carry an average student debtload of $24,437.
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With a ranking of #7, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. OSU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Stillwater.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OSU are $24,764 per year. Parks & Rec majors at OSU take out an average of $22,206 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, OSU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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Oral Roberts University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. ORU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Tulsa.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ORU are $31,558 a year.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oral Roberts University Report
Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 12 |
| Arizona | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 53 |
| New Mexico | 0 |
More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings in the Southwest Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Related Majors for Parks & Rec
One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 8 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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