2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You
With 3,436 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #11 most popular major in North Carolina.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in North Carolina 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. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named North Carolina State University the best value school in North Carolina for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
NC State graduate students pay an average of $11,703 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
NC State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Carolina University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at WCU are $7,480 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Carolina University
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Greensboro are $8,265 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Appalachian State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Appalachian State are $8,007 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in North Carolina. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
UNC Chapel Hill graduate students pay an average of $12,566 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #2 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina rankings.
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East Carolina University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at ECU are $7,594 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at East Carolina University Report
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North Carolina Central University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Durham.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at North Carolina Central University are $7,641 per year.
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Gardner - Webb University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Boiling Springs.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Gardner - Webb are $10,130 a year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gardner - Webb University Report
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Wingate University 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 #9 on the list. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wingate.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Wingate are $11,700 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Wingate also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Lenoir - Rhyne University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Hickory, Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Lenoir - Rhyne University are $12,060 a year.
Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1,238 |
| Mississippi | 1,128 |
| South Carolina | 1,339 |
| Florida | 2,340 |
| Virginia | 1,729 |
| Arkansas | 1,012 |
| Alabama | 959 |
| Kentucky | 1,141 |
| Georgia | 1,981 |
| Tennessee | 2,462 |
| Louisiana | 703 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in North Carolina
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 |
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 11 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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