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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

48 Colleges
$15,378 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master'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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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

#1

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

Our 2023 rankings named Ashland University the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Ashland graduate students pay an average of $6,972 in tuition and fees each year.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Grace College and Theological Seminary is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Grace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Winona Lake.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grace College are $8,054 a year.

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#3

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

Out of the 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Concordia University, Chicago landed the # 3 spot on the list. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378 per year.

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#4

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Valparaiso University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valparaiso.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Valpo are $12,220 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.

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Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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Concordia University, Wisconsin 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 #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Mequon, Concordia University, Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Wisconsin are $11,760 a year.

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With a ranking of #8, Ohio Dominican University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Columbus, ODU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ODU are $11,790 a year.

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Cardinal Stritch University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Milwaukee, Cardinal Stritch is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cardinal Stritch are $11,840 per year.

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#9

Xavier University

Cincinnati, OH

With a ranking of #9, Xavier University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cincinnati.

Xavier graduate students pay an average of $12,076 in tuition and fees each year.

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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 Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Illinois 2,396
Wisconsin 1,001

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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