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Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota

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2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota

43 Colleges
$32,166 Avg Salary
$25,590 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 1,139 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Minnesota college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

The Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 43 schools in Minnesota to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Concordia University, Saint Paul to be the most popular school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Minnesota. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Concordia University, Saint Paul take out $29,933 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Minnesota State Mankato take out $26,867 in student loans while working on their degree.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota list. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $23,038. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $340.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

Out of the 43 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from Winona State take out $25,724 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $259, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 43 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Parks & Rec majors at UMN Duluth take out an average of $25,413 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $269, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth Report

Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota ranking. Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Marshall.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University carry an average student debt load of $27,000.

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

With a ranking of #6, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Bemidji State University take out is $24,250.

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

With a ranking of #8, Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at MSU Moorhead accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Minnesota State University - Moorhead Report

University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Minnesota ranking. UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of St Thomas Minnesota Report

#10

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, MN

St Catherine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from St. Kate's take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St Catherine University Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
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 25 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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