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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$14,701 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 433 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 8 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best value master's degree 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. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia

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

Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the best value school in Virginia for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at JMU are $12,514 a year.

JMU also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #5.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at James Madison University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

University of Virginia graduate students pay an average of $20,906 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#3

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

The excellent master’s degree programs at Old Dominion University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Virginia. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Old Dominion are $13,224 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion University Report

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

Out of the 8 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 4 spot on the list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

GMU graduate students pay an average of $16,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#5

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.

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With a ranking of #6, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. VCU is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

VCU graduate students pay an average of $15,518 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#7

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Hampton University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Hampton are $13,134 per year.

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

#8

Randolph College

Lynchburg, VA

With a ranking of #8, Randolph College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Randolph is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Randolph graduate students pay an average of $17,310 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 160
Florida 448
North Carolina 289
Tennessee 287
Georgia 308
South Carolina 220
Louisiana 152
West Virginia 236
Kentucky 279
Arkansas 292
Alabama 216

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 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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