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

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

12 Colleges
$16,282 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$29,909 Avg Salary

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in Missouri with 1,342 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

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

The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 12 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best value programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Missouri

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

$7,930 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Missouri Western State University the best value school in Missouri for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Missouri Western is a small public school located in the small city of Saint Joseph.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri Western are $7,930 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Missouri Western take out an average of $26,214 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

$8,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Missouri State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest are $8,852 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Northwest take out is $25,421. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $218.

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

$7,762 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri Southern State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Missouri Southern is a small public school located in the city of Joplin.

Missouri Southern undergraduate students pay an average of $7,762 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Missouri Southern take out an average of $21,300 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

$8,294 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri State University - Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri State are $8,294 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Missouri State take out an average of $23,293 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $107, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$8,715 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Southeast Missouri State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Missouri. Southeast Missouri State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Cape Girardeau.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $8,715 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Southeast Missouri State University take out $21,849 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

$11,475 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mizzou are $11,475 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $277, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Mizzou also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list, coming in at #2.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia

$9,078 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Central Missouri ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Located in the town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a large student population.

UCM undergraduate students pay an average of $9,078 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UCM take out $25,041 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Central Missouri

$27,166 Average Tuition & Fees

Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Maryville U is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Maryville U are $27,166 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Maryville U take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Maryville U also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Maryville University of Saint Louis Report

#9

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO
$18,640 Average Tuition & Fees

Lindenwood University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lindenwood University are $18,640 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Lindenwood University take out is $28,875. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $210, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

#10

Missouri Baptist University

Saint Louis, MO
$30,548 Average Tuition & Fees

Missouri Baptist University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, MBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

MBU undergraduate students pay an average of $30,548 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from MBU carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Missouri Baptist University Report

Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
Minnesota 1,139
Iowa 1,491
South Dakota 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 12 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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