2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major
27
Ranked Colleges
196
Degrees Awarded
$27,700
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 2,818 people earned their degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies, making the major the 218th most popular in the United States.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 196 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major” ranking, we looked at 27 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation & leisure studies.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major”.
Top 27 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Cortland. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school situated in Cortland, New York. It awarded 15 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortland
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks & rec degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SIUC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Oregon University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Located in Ashland, Oregon, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Southern Oregon University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Toledo. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks & rec degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Toledo
Out of the 27 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 49 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UIUC
University of Northern Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks & rec degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNI
With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 26 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Utah came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. University of Utah is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 4 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at U of U
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
California State University - Chico came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #11. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 3 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at CSULB
Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 masters’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Athens
East Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full East Carolina University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #14, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution located in Maryville, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northwest
California State University - Sacramento came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks & rec degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Sac State
Northern Arizona University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 10 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at NAU
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 masters’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at ASU - Tempe
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. BYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 105 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at BYU
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 0 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at VCU
With a ranking of #18, Morgan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this medium-sized public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Morgan State
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks & rec degrees to 69 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station
San Jose State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 28 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMCP Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #18, University of South Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. USD is a medium-sized school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 0 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full USD Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
San Francisco State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 28 masters’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Northridge
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
