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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri

12 Colleges
$29,909 Avg Salary
$24,765 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in Missouri with 1,342 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Missouri to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Missouri

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Maryville University of Saint Louis the best school in Missouri for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Maryville U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Parks & Rec majors at Maryville U take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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The excellent programs at University of Missouri - Columbia helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Missouri. 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 debtload of $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $277, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 12 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri Western State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Missouri Western is a small public school located in the small city of Saint Joseph.

Parks & Rec majors at Missouri Western take out an average of $26,214 in student loans while working on their egree.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Missouri State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Maryville.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Northwest take out is $25,421. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $218.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Southeast Missouri State University is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Southeast Missouri State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Cape Girardeau.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Southeast Missouri State University take out $21,849 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Westminster College Missouri landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Westminster Fulton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Fulton.

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Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Springfield.

Parks & Rec majors at Missouri State take out an average of $23,293 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $107, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#8

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Lindenwood University take out is $28,875. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $210, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #9, University of Central Missouri did quite well on this year’s best schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from UCM take out $25,041 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Missouri Southern State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking. Missouri Southern is a small public school located in the small city of Joplin.

Parks & Rec majors at Missouri Southern take out an average of $21,300 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
Minnesota 1,139
Iowa 1,491
South Dakota 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 12 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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