College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in New York

8 Ranked Colleges
322 Degrees Awarded
$47,777 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,423 and had an average of $24,388 in loans still to pay off.

Across New York, there were 2,622 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,338 and $21,820 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs as well as strong veteran support.

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, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s”.

Top 8 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in New York

1
SUNY Cortland crest
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Cortland. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. SUNY Cortland is located in Cortland, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 masters’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SUNY Cortland also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” list, coming in at #3.Our most recent data shows that 78 of the 6,832 students enrolled at SUNY Cortland were GI Bill® students, of which 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,971. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SUNY Cortland does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full SUNY Cortland Veteran Student Life Report

2

Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 67 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” list.Among the 30,135 students enrolled at Columbia, 739 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 467 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $22,069. To help with additional expenses, 328 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia University in the City of New York]](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york/student-life/veterans/)

3
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brooklyn College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 28 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Brooklyn College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” list.According to our most recent data, Brooklyn College supports 17,735 students, and 195 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,457. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Queens College landed the #4 spot on the list. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

QC also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” list, coming in at #8.According to our most recent data, Queens College supports 19,700 students, and 215 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 123 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,823. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Queens College offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at QC]](/colleges/cuny-queens-college/student-life/veterans/)

5
Canisius crest
Canisius College
Buffalo, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Canisius College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Buffalo, New York 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 53 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new york master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Canisius has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” ranking.Of the 2,820 students enrolled at Canisius, 67 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,349. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Canisius]](/colleges/canisius-college/student-life/veterans/)

6
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York

Adelphi University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Garden City, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 24 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Adelphi not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” list.Our most recent data shows that 99 of the 7,584 students enrolled at Adelphi were GI Bill® students, of which 73 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,421. During this same period, 18 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Adelphi University Veteran Student Life Report

7

St John’s University - New York came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s ranking. St John’s University - New York is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 31 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

STJ also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” ranking.Among the 20,143 students enrolled at St John’s University - New York, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,047. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. St John’s University - New York does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

8
Manhattanville crest
Manhattanville College
Purchase, New York

With a ranking of #8, Manhattanville College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in New York for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Manhattanville is a small school located in Purchase, New York that handed out 14 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Manhattanville also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in New York” ranking.Of the 2,408 students enrolled at Manhattanville College, 20 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,570. To help with additional expenses, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Manhattanville College Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options