2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 64 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Oklahoma Panhandle State University the best value school in the Southwest Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the rural area of Goodwell, OPSU is a public college with a small student population.
OPSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,234 in tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 64 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern Oklahoma State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the town of Alva, NWOSU is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NWOSU are $15,001 a year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at West Texas A&M University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southwest Region . West Texas A&M University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Canyon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ASU - Skysong are $13,092 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, ASU - Skysong is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Canyon University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grand Canyon University are $17,189 a year.
Grand Canyon University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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With a ranking of #6, Southwestern Oklahoma State 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. Located in the remote town of Weatherford, SWOSU is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SWOSU are $15,023 a year.
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Tarleton State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Tarleton is a large public school located in the remote town of Stephenville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tarleton are $17,582 a year.
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Cameron University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the small city of Lawton, Cameron University is a public school with a small student population.
Cameron University undergraduate students pay an average of $15,870 in tuition and fees each year.
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Sam Houston State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. SHSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Huntsville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SHSU are $18,752 per year.
SHSU also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #10, MSU Texas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. MSU Texas is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Wichita Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU Texas are $11,726 a year.
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Here are some additional great value schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of Houston - Clear Lake | Houston, TX |
| 12 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, OK |
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 Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,071 |
| Texas | 7,380 |
| New Mexico | 141 |
| Oklahoma | 1,179 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Southwest Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Majors for 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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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