2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 South Dakota, there were 386 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 64 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$16,743 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State University are $16,743, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Dakota State University

#2

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$36,480 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Augustana Sioux Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Augustana University are $36,480.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Augustana Sioux Falls

#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota

#3 in overall quality

$12,637 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 31 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our south dakota master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, USD has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of South Dakota are $12,637.

Full University of South Dakota Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

#4 in overall quality

$11,814 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northern State University is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our south dakota master’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, NSU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NSU are $11,814, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northern State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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