2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota

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 South Dakota” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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” 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 South Dakota

The colleges and universities below are the best for south dakota master’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in South Dakota

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$16,743 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 10 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota 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 South Dakota” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State University are $16,743.

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

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota. University of South Dakota is located in Vermillion, South Dakota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

USD also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at USD are $12,637, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

#4 in overall quality

$11,814 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota. Northern State University is a small public school situated in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It awarded 13 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern State University are $11,814, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#4

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 #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Master’s in South Dakota list. Augustana University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It awarded 10 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana Sioux Falls not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Augustana University are $36,480, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Plains States 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.

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >