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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region

31 Ranked Colleges
1,174 Degrees Awarded
$18,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master's in the Middle Atlantic Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 72,122 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 7,835 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,659 and $25,497 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,174 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,887 and $46,998 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking, we looked at 31 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region master’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

#1

Canisius College

Buffalo, New York
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Canisius College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. Canisius is a small school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 70 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region master’s degree parks & rec students list, Canisius has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Canisius are $15,870, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Canisius College

#2

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in California, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 248 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region master’s degree parks & rec students list, Cal U has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California University of Pennsylvania are $18,508, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California University of Pennsylvania

#3

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SRU is a public institution located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SRU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SRU are $17,652, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#4

Mount St Mary's University

Emmitsburg, Maryland
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mount St Mary’s University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. This small school is located in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and it awarded 12 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The Mount, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The Mount are $13,673, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Mount St Mary’s University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#5

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, Maryland
#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Frostburg State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Frostburg, Maryland, this small public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Frostburg State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Frostburg State are $12,790.

Full Frostburg State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#6

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Lock Haven University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This small school is located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 41 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

LHU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at LHU are $17,379.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at LHU

#7

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at East Stroudsburg University, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at East Stroudsburg University are $16,898, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#8

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. West Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

WCUPA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at WCUPA are $16,758, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#9

Niagara University

Niagara University, New York
#23 in overall quality

Niagara University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Niagara is located in Niagara University, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Niagara also took the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Niagara are $14,893, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#10

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Temple University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Temple is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Temple are $24,236, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Temple University

#11

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York
#6 in overall quality

SUNY Cortland did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #11. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized school located in Cortland, New York that handed out 65 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY Cortland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SUNY Cortland are $24,707, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SUNY Cortland

With a ranking of #12, Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Teaneck, New Jersey, and it awarded 21 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at FDU are $10,656, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus

#13

Manhattanville College

Purchase, New York
#16 in overall quality

Manhattanville College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Manhattanville College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Purchase, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Manhattanville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Manhattanville College are $17,670.

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

#21 in overall quality

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

IUP also took the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at IUP are $18,207, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

#15

Delaware State University

Dover, Delaware

Delaware State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Dover, Delaware is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Del State are $11,726, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Del State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#16

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bloomsburg are $16,862.

Full Bloomsburg Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#17

Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Millersville, Pennsylvania

Millersville University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #17. Millersville, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Millersville are $16,350, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

#18

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
#14 in overall quality

Brooklyn College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 25 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region master’s degree parks & rec students list, Brooklyn College has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brooklyn College are $20,952.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Brooklyn College

#19

Wesley College

Dover, Delaware

Wesley College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Wesley College is located in Dover, Delaware and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wesley College are $12,617.

Full Wesley College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#20

Gannon University

Erie, Pennsylvania
#22 in overall quality

Gannon University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Gannon University is a small school located in Erie, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Gannon also took the #22 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Gannon are $20,660, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Gannon University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#21

Neumann University

Aston, Pennsylvania

Neumann University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Aston, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Neumann are $13,860.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Neumann

#22

Queens College

Queens, New York
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Queens College is a fairly large public school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at QC, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Queens College are $21,042.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Queens College

#25 in overall quality

William Paterson University of New Jersey came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. William Paterson University of New Jersey is a medium-sized school located in Wayne, New Jersey that handed out 8 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

William Paterson University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #25. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William Paterson University are $20,970.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William Paterson University of New Jersey

#24

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#8 in overall quality

Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This large school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and it awarded 29 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Rutgers New Brunswick are $32,132.

Full Rutgers University - New Brunswick Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#25

Kean University

Union, New Jersey
#24 in overall quality

Kean University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Kean University is a public institution located in Union, New Jersey. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Kean also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kean are $22,318, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Kean University

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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

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.

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