2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a master's degree.
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 town of Seward.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Nebraska are $8,650 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Nebraska
Out of the 24 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Cloud State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
St. Cloud State University graduate students pay an average of $13,412 in tuition and fees each year.
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 fairly large student population.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
Out of the 24 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Missouri State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Maryville, Northwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Northwest are $7,064 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwest Missouri State University Report
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.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Minot State University
South Dakota State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a fairly 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.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Dakota State University Report
With a ranking of #7, Grand View 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 medium-sized city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Grand View University are $9,440 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grand View University Report
Concordia University, Saint Paul landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Saint Paul are $8,550 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul Report
Missouri Western State 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. Located in the city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public college with a small student population.
Missouri Western graduate students pay an average of $12,318 in tuition and fees each year.
Lindenwood University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Lindenwood University are $9,784 a year.
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 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 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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