2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate 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.
The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 4 schools in the Plains States Region to see which graduate certificate 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.
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.
Best Plains States Region Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our 2023 rankings named Winona State University the best value school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri State University - Springfield. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri State are $12,618 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri Baptist University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. MBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MBU are $10,670 per year.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Plains States Region . Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.
Iowa graduate students pay an average of $31,012 in tuition and fees each year.
Iowa also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Plains States 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 |
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 4 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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