2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Texas
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 7,380 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Texas college or university. This makes it the #14 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.
The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Texas ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 44 schools in Texas 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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Houston - Clear Lake to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Texas. Located in the suburb of Houston, UH Clear Lake is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UH Clear Lake are $7,698 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UH Clear Lake also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tarleton State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list. Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Tarleton undergraduate students pay an average of $7,790 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Tarleton State University
Request Information
Out of the 44 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Sam Houston State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SHSU are $8,960 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SHSU also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas ranking.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Sam Houston State University Report
Request Information
Out of the 44 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Austin are $11,752 a year.
UT Austin did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report
Request Information
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means West Texas A&M University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
West Texas A&M University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,202 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Texas A&M University Report
Request Information
Texas A&M University - College Station 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 #6 on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
Texas A&M College Station undergraduate students pay an average of $12,204 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Texas A&M College Station also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list, coming in at #5.
Request Information
Texas Woman’s 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 #7 on the list. TWU is a large public school located in the midsize city of Denton.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TWU are $8,394 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Woman’s University
Request Information
University of Houston landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UH is a very large public school located in the city of Houston.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UH are $9,699 a year.
UH excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Houston
Request Information
Lamar University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas list. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lamar University are $8,690 a year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lamar University
Request Information
Texas State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas ranking. Texas State is a very large public school located in the city of San Marcos.
Texas State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,135 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas State University Report
Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southwest Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,071 |
| New Mexico | 141 |
| Oklahoma | 1,179 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in Texas
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 |
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.