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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$16,511 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,687 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Concordia University, Nebraska to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the Plains States Region . Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Seward.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Nebraska are $8,650 per year.

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

#2

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Cloud State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.

St. Cloud State University graduate students pay an average of $13,412 in tuition and fees each year.

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

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Minnesota State University - Mankato is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 a year.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwest Missouri State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Maryville, Northwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Northwest graduate students pay an average of $7,064 in tuition and fees each year.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minot State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public college with a small student population.

MSU graduate students pay an average of $10,263 in tuition and fees each year.

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

South Dakota State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at South Dakota State are $16,917 a year.

South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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

#7

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Grand View University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grand View University are $9,440 a year.

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

Concordia University, Saint Paul came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Concordia University, Saint Paul graduate students pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul

Missouri Western State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public college with a small student population.

Missouri Western graduate students pay an average of $12,318 in tuition and fees each year.

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

#9

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Lindenwood University graduate students pay an average of $9,784 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

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

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges 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 24 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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