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

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

19 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 Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 19 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones were the most popular 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 .

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

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debt load of $25,000. 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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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 Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UNK take out is $18,594. 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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#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Out of the 19 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UNI take out $23,469 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Parks & Rec majors at Iowa take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $517, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The excellent programs at Winona State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Plains States Region . Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Winona State take out is $25,447.

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

Northwest Missouri State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Maryville.

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

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

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UMN Duluth accumulate an average of around $26,500 in student debt.

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#8

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular 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.

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

Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

Parks & Rec majors at Missouri State take out an average of $25,316 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

Parks & Rec majors at UMN Twin Cities take out an average of $24,125 in student loans while working on their egree.

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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 19 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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