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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

41 Colleges
$21,782 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,393 Avg Salary

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.

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.

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 Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in the Southwest 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.

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 Schools in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

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

$11,208 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named West Texas A&M University the best value school in the Southwest Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

West Texas A&M University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,208 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Texas A&M University Report

#2

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, TX
$11,726 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means MSU Texas is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the midsize city of Wichita Falls, MSU Texas is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU Texas are $11,726 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MSU Texas Report

$15,870 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Durant.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeastern Oklahoma State University are $15,870 per year.

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

#4

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX
$17,582 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Tarleton State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public school with a large student population.

Tarleton undergraduate students pay an average of $17,582 in tuition and fees each year.

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

#5

Howard Payne University

Brownwood, TX
$30,488 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Howard Payne University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Howard Payne is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Brownwood.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Howard Payne are $30,488 a year.

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

$16,555 Average Tuition & Fees

East Central University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the remote town of Ada, ECU is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ECU are $16,555 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at East Central University Report

$27,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Nazarene 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 #7 on the list. SNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bethany.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SNU are $27,000 a year.

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

$18,186 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. TWU is a large public school located in the city of Denton.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TWU are $18,186 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Woman’s University Report

$20,906 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Texas 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 #9 on the list. UNT is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Denton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNT are $20,906 a year.

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

#10

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX
$18,482 Average Tuition & Fees

Lamar University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lamar University are $18,482 a year.

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

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 Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 36
Texas 843
Oklahoma 276
New Mexico 25

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 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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