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

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

18 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 18 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Our 2023 rankings named University of Missouri - Columbia the most popular school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia.

Of the 116 students majoring in parks and rec at Mizzou, 75% are male and 25% are female.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 60% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec majors at UNK accumulate an average of around $18,511 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.

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

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #3 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 college with a fairly large student population.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $517, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Northern Iowa is a great place for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 75% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 25% are male.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UNI take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,350.

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

Out of the 18 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Winona.

About 75% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 25% are male.

Read More…

Northwest Missouri State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular 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.

Of the 28 students majoring in parks and rec at Northwest, 29% are male and 71% are female.

Read More…

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.

Women make up 48% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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

#8

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

With a ranking of #8, Pittsburg State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

About 53% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 47% are male.

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

Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the city of Springfield.

Women make up 62% of the parks and rec majors at the school.

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

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 36% of the students majoring in parks and rec at the school are women while 64% are male.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UMN Twin Cities take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,912.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

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 18 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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