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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$16,511 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.

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.

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 Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which master's degree 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.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Nebraska the best value school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Seward.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Nebraska are $8,650 per year.

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#2

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

The excellent master’s degree programs at Saint Cloud State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

St. Cloud State University graduate students pay an average of $13,412 in tuition and fees each year.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Minnesota State University - Mankato is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northwest Missouri State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Maryville, Northwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Northwest are $7,064 a year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at MSU are $10,263 a year.

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South Dakota State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at South Dakota State are $16,917 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, South Dakota State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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#7

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Grand View 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 #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Grand View University are $9,440 per year.

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Concordia University, Saint Paul ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Saint Paul are $8,550 a year.

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Missouri Western State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public school with a small student population.

Missouri Western graduate students pay an average of $12,318 in tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Lindenwood University are $9,784 a year.

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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools 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

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

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 24 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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