2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #14 most popular major in California with 11,237 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.
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 Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Concordia University, Irvine to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Concordia University, Irvine are $8,564 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Concordia University, Irvine also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Irvine Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
CSULB graduate students pay an average of $8,280 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at San Jose State 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 California. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at San Jose State are $9,286 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - East Bay. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
Cal State East Bay graduate students pay an average of $8,429 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - East Bay Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $11,629 per year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Sac State are $8,826 per year.
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Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State University - San Marcos ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUSM is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at CSUSM are $9,161 a year.
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California State University - Northridge landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Northridge.
CSUN graduate students pay an average of $8,477 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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San Francisco State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SFSU are $8,738 a year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Francisco State University
Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 673 |
| Oregon | 629 |
| Hawaii | 171 |
| Nevada | 273 |
| Alaska | 35 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in California
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 22 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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