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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$18,349 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,466 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 289 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a North Carolina college or university. This makes it the #18 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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 North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best value programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in North Carolina

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Our analysis found North Carolina State University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NC State are $9,131 a year.

NC State also took the #4 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina rankings.

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

Out of the 11 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the # 2 spot on the list. WCU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WCU are $4,367 a year.

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

The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Greensboro helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in North Carolina. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

UNC Greensboro undergraduate students pay an average of $7,468 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro Report

#4

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECU are $7,297 a year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Appalachian State are $7,410 a year.

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

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

UNC Chapel Hill undergraduate students pay an average of $9,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

North Carolina Central University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking. North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Durham.

North Carolina Central University undergraduate students pay an average of $6,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina Central University

#8

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC
$32,200 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Boiling Springs.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gardner - Webb are $32,200 per year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gardner - Webb University

#9

Wingate University

Wingate, NC
$40,170 Average Tuition & Fees

Wingate University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wingate.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wingate are $40,170 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wingate also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking.

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

$41,500 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Lenoir - Rhyne University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Hickory, Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Lenoir - Rhyne University undergraduate students pay an average of $41,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lenoir - Rhyne University Report

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
Virginia 433
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

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 11 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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