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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$13,545 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$29,909 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Missouri 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.

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 Schools in Missouri

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Missouri Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

$8,294 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Missouri State University - Springfield the best value school in Missouri for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri State are $8,294 a year.

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$7,930 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Missouri Western State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Missouri Western is a small public school located in the city of Saint Joseph.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri Western are $7,930 per year.

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

$8,852 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwest Missouri State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest are $8,852 a year.

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$11,475 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Missouri list. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Mizzou are $11,475 a year.

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

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

$9,078 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Central Missouri helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Missouri. Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public college with a large student population.

UCM undergraduate students pay an average of $9,078 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#6

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO
$18,640 Average Tuition & Fees

Lindenwood University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lindenwood University are $18,640 a year.

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

#7

Missouri Baptist University

Saint Louis, MO
$30,548 Average Tuition & Fees

Missouri Baptist 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. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, MBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MBU are $30,548 a year.

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

#8

Avila University

Kansas City, MO
$21,740 Average Tuition & Fees

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Avila are $21,740 per year.

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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools 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.

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