2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
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 Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 88 schools in the Southeast Region to see which 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Southeast Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named American Public University System the best value school in the Southeast Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.
American Military University undergraduate students pay an average of $7,360 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Public University System Report
Out of the 88 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bob Jones University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Greenville, Bob Jones University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bob Jones University are $21,062 per year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bob Jones University
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gardner - Webb University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gardner - Webb are $32,200 per year.
The excellent programs at Liberty University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Southeast Region . Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
Liberty University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,160 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Liberty University
Out of the 88 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Arkansas landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Conway, UCA is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCA are $16,433 a year.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at A-State are $12,698 a year.
With a ranking of #7, Mississippi College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Clinton, MC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
MC undergraduate students pay an average of $20,364 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mississippi College
United States Sports Academy landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the small city of Daphne, The Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Academy are $17,424 a year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at United States Sports Academy Report
University of Arkansas landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UARK are $26,390 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UARK also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Arkansas Report
Shenandoah University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.
Shenandoah undergraduate students pay an average of $34,490 in tuition and fees each year.
Shenandoah excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list.
Northern Kentucky University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #11 on the list. NKU is a large public school located in the large suburb of Highland Heights.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NKU are $20,448 a year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Kentucky University Report
Southeastern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Lakeland, SEU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SEU are $28,320 a year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southeastern University
Morehead State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region list. Morehead State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Morehead.
Morehead State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,106 in tuition and fees each year.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 15 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 16 | Henderson State University | Arkadelphia, AR |
| 17 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
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 Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | 160 |
| Florida | 448 |
| North Carolina | 289 |
| Virginia | 433 |
| Tennessee | 287 |
| Georgia | 308 |
| South Carolina | 220 |
| Louisiana | 152 |
| West Virginia | 236 |
| Kentucky | 279 |
| Arkansas | 292 |
| Alabama | 216 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Southeast Region
Majors Related to Parks & Rec
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 |
Majors Similar to Parks & Rec
| 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 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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