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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$13,301 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,783 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students earned 1,128 degrees and certificates from a Mississippi school, making the subject the 8th in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Mississippi ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Mississippi 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.

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.

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

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Mississippi Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

#1

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS
$9,220 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Mississippi State University the best value school in Mississippi for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Mississippi State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Mississippi State.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mississippi State are $9,220 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Mississippi State take out $25,150 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $260, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Mississippi State also took the #2 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Mississippi rankings.

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

#2

University of Mississippi

University, MS
$9,044 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Mississippi is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Ole Miss is a fairly large public school located in the town of University.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ole Miss are $9,044 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Ole Miss take out an average of $23,426 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $383, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Ole Miss also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Mississippi list, coming in at #1.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Mississippi Report

Out of the 8 schools in Mississippi that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern Mississippi landed the # 3 spot on the list. Southern Miss is a fairly large public school located in the city of Hattiesburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southern Miss are $9,204 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Southern Miss carry an average student debtload of $28,438. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $163, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

$7,756 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Mississippi University for Women is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Columbus, MUW is a public school with a small student population.

MUW undergraduate students pay an average of $7,756 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from MUW carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MUW is ranked #4 for overall quality for parks and rec in Mississippi.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mississippi University for Women

#5

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, MS
$14,550 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Mississippi that were part of this year’s ranking, William Carey University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Hattiesburg, William Carey University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William Carey University are $14,550 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at William Carey University take out is $21,500.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William Carey University

#6

Mississippi College

Clinton, MS
$20,364 Average Tuition & Fees

Mississippi College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the suburb of Clinton, MC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MC are $20,364 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from MC carry an average student debtload of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $120.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MC is ranked #3 for overall quality for parks and rec in Mississippi.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mississippi College Report

$8,445 Average Tuition & Fees

Jackson State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Mississippi list. Jackson State is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Jackson.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Jackson State are $8,445 a year.

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

#8

Belhaven University

Jackson, MS
$27,825 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Belhaven undergraduate students pay an average of $27,825 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Belhaven take out is $27,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $215, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Best 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
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
Florida 2,340
Virginia 1,729
Arkansas 1,012
South Carolina 1,339
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981

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 8 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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