Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

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

Find Schools Near

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$8,596 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,687 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 247 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Missouri college or university. This makes it the #17 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master's Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Missouri 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.

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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

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

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

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

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri Western are $7,458 per year.

Read More…

The excellent master’s degree programs at Missouri State University - Springfield helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Missouri. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri State are $6,858 per year.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwest Missouri State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Missouri list. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Northwest are $7,064 a year.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Missouri list. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.

Mizzou graduate students pay an average of $11,255 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Mizzou also took the #4 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Missouri rankings.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Central Missouri. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCM are $9,156 a year.

Read More…

#6

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood 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 #6 on the list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.

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

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lindenwood University Report

#7

Missouri Baptist University

Saint Louis, MO

Missouri Baptist University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree 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 graduate students pay an average of $10,670 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#8

Avila University

Kansas City, MO

Avila University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Master’s Degree Schools in Missouri list. Avila is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Kansas City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Avila are $8,598 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Avila 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 50
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 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.