2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor'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.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 97 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for parks and rec students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Platteville to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of Platteville, UW - Platteville is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Platteville are $16,483 a year.
UW - Platteville excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Youngstown State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Youngstown State University
Out of the 97 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $14,551 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Illinois University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Central Michigan University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Central Michigan University Report
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public school located in the small city of La Crosse.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - La Crosse is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
UW - Stevens Point undergraduate students pay an average of $17,035 in tuition and fees each year.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Illinois University Report
With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Akron Main Campus
With a ranking of #12, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.
Eastern Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $15,500 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Michigan University Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Illinois State are $24,172 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 16 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 17 | Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 18 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI |
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 1,818 |
| Michigan | 2,279 |
| Ohio | 2,647 |
| Illinois | 2,396 |
| Wisconsin | 1,001 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Parks & Rec
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 |
Majors Similar to Parks & Rec
| 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 25 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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