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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$27,526 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,408 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You

With 1,195 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #20 most popular major in Massachusetts.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

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 Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in Massachusetts to see which 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Massachusetts

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

$16,439 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Massachusetts Amherst to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Massachusetts. UMass Amherst is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMass Amherst are $16,439 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UMass Amherst take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $543.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#2

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA
$11,139 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Westfield State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Westfield is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Westfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Westfield are $11,139 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Westfield take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Westfield State University Report

#3

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA
$10,655 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fitchburg State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fitchburg State are $10,655 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Fitchburg State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Fitchburg State University

$11,675 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the suburb of Salem, Salem State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Salem State are $11,675 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Salem State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $220, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

$14,677 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Massachusetts - Boston. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. UMass Boston is a large public school located in the city of Boston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMass Boston are $14,677 per year. Parks & Rec majors at UMass Boston take out an average of $25,713 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$13,392 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network undergraduate students pay an average of $13,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#7

Lasell University

Newton, MA
$42,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Lasell University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Lasell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Newton.

Lasell undergraduate students pay an average of $42,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Lasell accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $443, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#8

Endicott College

Beverly, MA
$36,614 Average Tuition & Fees

Endicott College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Endicott is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Beverly.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Endicott are $36,614 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Endicott take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $470.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Endicott College

$57,592 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Northeastern University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern are $57,592 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Northeastern also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#10

Gordon College

Wenham, MA
$26,250 Average Tuition & Fees

Gordon College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the large suburb of Wenham, Gordon College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gordon College are $26,250 per year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gordon College

Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 569
Maine 200
Rhode Island 291
Connecticut 332
Vermont 165

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 14 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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