2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 72,122 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,823 and had an average of $24,576 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 5,808 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,644 and $24,923 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 17 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s parks and rec degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$25,948 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State are $25,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Omaha, Nebraska

#4 in overall quality

$16,374 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #3 spot on the list. UNOMAHA is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UNOMAHA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $16,374, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 5 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613.

Full University of Iowa Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees 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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

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