2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Southeast region, there were 19,063 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,950 and $25,504 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 2,885 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,950 and $43,286 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region” ranking analyzed 84 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 the Southeast Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Southeast Region
Out of the 84 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #1 spot on the list. American Military University is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 143 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
American Military University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at American Military University are $7,050.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at American Military University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 176 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full Liberty University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cumberland University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Cumberland University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lebanon, Tennessee. It awarded 16 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cumberland University are $7,020, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cumberland University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Citadel Military College of South Carolina. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region. This small school is located in Charleston, South Carolina, and it awarded 19 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The Citadel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Citadel Military College of South Carolina are $18,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The Citadel
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Kentucky University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Western Kentucky University is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree parks & rec students list, WKU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WKU are $18,340.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Kentucky University
Arkansas State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Jonesboro, Arkansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 167 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at A-State are $11,586, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #7, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Southern Miss is a fairly large school located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that handed out 41 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern Mississippi are $10,896, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full Southern Miss Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of North Alabama landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Florence, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Alabama are $13,860, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UNA
With a ranking of #9, Belhaven University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Jackson, Mississippi, and it awarded 25 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Belhaven are $10,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Belhaven
With a ranking of #10, Wingate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Wingate, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wingate are $11,430.
Full Wingate University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Clemson University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Clemson is a large school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 86 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Clemson also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at Clemson are $23,246, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Clemson
Gardner - Webb University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #12. Gardner - Webb University is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Gardner - Webb are $9,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full Gardner - Webb University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Lenoir - Rhyne University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Hickory, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 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 Lenoir - Rhyne University are $11,700.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lenoir - Rhyne University
University of Central Arkansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. University of Central Arkansas is a fairly large school located in Conway, Arkansas that handed out 18 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UCA are $11,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Central Arkansas
Georgia Southern University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. GaSou is a large school located in Statesboro, Georgia that handed out 98 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GaSou, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GaSou are $22,004.
Full GaSou Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
North Carolina State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. North Carolina State University is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree parks & rec students list, NC State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Carolina State University are $28,999, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full NC State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
East Carolina University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. East Carolina University is located in Greenville, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree parks & rec students list, ECU has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at East Carolina University are $20,685, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at ECU
With a ranking of #18, University of Arkansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree parks & rec students list, UARK has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UARK are $22,121, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Arkansas Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Memphis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 42 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UofM are $14,202, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Memphis
Troy University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Located in Troy, Alabama, this fairly large public school awarded 36 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 TROY are $16,156.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Troy University
With a ranking of #21, Mississippi College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Located in Clinton, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 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 MC are $12,322.
Full Mississippi College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #22, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree parks & rec students list, UGA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UGA are $27,476.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UGA
Coker University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Hartsville, South Carolina, and it awarded 19 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Coker are $17,976.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Coker
Mississippi Valley State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. This small school is located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and it awarded 24 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Mississippi Valley State University are $7,364, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mississippi Valley State University
Jacksonville University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Jacksonville University is located in Jacksonville, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at JU are $14,742, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at JU
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
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