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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

4 Colleges

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #18 most popular major in the country with 10,452 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 4 schools in the Plains States Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for parks and rec majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top Plains States Region Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

Our 2023 rankings named Winona State University the best school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

Out of the 4 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.

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Out of the 4 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri State University - Springfield landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public college with a very large student population.

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

#4

Missouri Baptist University

Saint Louis, MO

Out of the 4 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri Baptist University landed the # 4 spot on the list. MBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 50
Missouri 247
Minnesota 151
Iowa 136
North Dakota 36
Nebraska 36
South Dakota 61

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 9,742
Recreation Administration 441
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 206
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 35
Outdoor Education 28

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 53,252
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 4 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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