2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Colorado

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 “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Colorado, there were 1,205 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,553 and $20,903 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 118 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,789 and $41,587 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado” ranking, we looked at 3 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Colorado

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Colorado

#1

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$21,708 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Colorado. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado. University of Northern Colorado is a fairly large school located in Greeley, Colorado that handed out 69 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Northern Colorado, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Colorado are $21,708, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Colorado

#2

Colorado State University - Fort Collins

Fort Collins, Colorado

#2 in overall quality

$28,055 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #2 spot on the list. Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a large public school situated in Fort Collins, Colorado. It awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State University - Fort Collins are $28,055.

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

#3

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado

#3 in overall quality

$10,551 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Adams State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Adams State is located in Alamosa, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Adams State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Adams State University are $10,551.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

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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