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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

24 Colleges
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named South Dakota State University the best school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#2

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Cloud State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public school with a large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Concordia University, Nebraska. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Seward.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public school with a very large student population.

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#6

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

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Minot State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.

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University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a very large student population.

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Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #9 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#10

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

University of Northern Iowa ranked #10 on this year’s Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

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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 24 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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