2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Southwest region, there were 9,967 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,090 and $22,308 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 882 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,078 and $37,227 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 38 colleges that offer 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
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 Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Southwest Region
Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, MSU Texas landed the #1 spot on the list. MSU Texas is located in Wichita Falls, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Texas, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at MSU Texas are $7,935, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MSU Texas
Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Nazarene University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Bethany, Oklahoma, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 23 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
SNU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SNU are $15,200, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Nazarene University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region. Texas A&M College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 73 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M College Station also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized school located in Durant, Oklahoma that handed out 52 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree parks & rec students list, Southeastern Oklahoma State University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southeastern Oklahoma State University are $11,178, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech 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 Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Tech University
West Texas A&M University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Canyon, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 8 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 West Texas A&M University are $8,013.
Full West Texas A&M University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Texas Woman’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. TWU is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 31 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
TWU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at TWU are $14,962, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Woman’s University
East Central University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. East Central University is a small school located in Ada, Oklahoma that handed out 35 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
ECU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at East Central University are $11,568, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at East Central University
University of North Texas landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 44 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNT are $15,618, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full UNT Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 12 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full UT Austin Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Houston came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 11 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Houston
Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M University - Commerce is a fairly large school located in Commerce, Texas that handed out 35 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Commerce, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M Commerce are $14,549, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M University - Commerce
With a ranking of #13, Texas Southern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 16 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree parks & rec students list, TSU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Southern University are $13,221, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full Texas Southern University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
East Texas Baptist University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Marshall, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at East Texas Baptist University are $7,028, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at East Texas Baptist University
Hardin - Simmons University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Abilene, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Hardin - Simmons not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Hardin - Simmons are $14,320, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Hardin - Simmons
Texas State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State University is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 39 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas State are $17,040, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas State University
Sam Houston State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. SHSU is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
SHSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #18. Average graduate tuition and fees at SHSU are $15,704, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Sam Houston State University
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Rio Grande Valley
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #19. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Arizona University are $19,489, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Arizona University
Angelo State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Angelo State University is a fairly large public school situated in San Angelo, Texas. It awarded 27 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Angelo State are $14,396, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Angelo State
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and it awarded 20 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi are $15,683.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. OSU is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 15 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
OSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus are $23,963.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at OSU
Stephen F Austin State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. SFASU is located in Nacogdoches, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFASU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stephen F Austin State University are $15,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SFASU
Lamar University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Beaumont, Texas, and it awarded 6 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Lamar University are $15,699, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lamar University
With a ranking of #25, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. NSU is a medium-sized school located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that handed out 13 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 NSU are $10,600.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at NSU
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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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