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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

4 Colleges

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #15 in the country. In fact 73,813 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

The Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 4 schools in the Plains States Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top Plains States Region Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

Our 2023 rankings named Winona State University the best school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Winona State University Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.

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

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Missouri State University - Springfield is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Missouri State University - Springfield

#4

Missouri Baptist University

Saint Louis, MO

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Missouri Baptist University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. MBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Missouri Baptist University Report

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
Minnesota 1,139
Iowa 1,491
South Dakota 342
Missouri 1,342
Nebraska 429
North Dakota 266

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Recreation Administration 3,122
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3,106
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Public Administration & Social Service 98,583
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 4 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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