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

5 Ranked Colleges
101 Degrees Awarded
$39,330 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Iowa 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 Iowa, there were 1,493 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,634 and $25,812 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

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.

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

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa master’s degree vets studying parks & rec.

Top 5 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Iowa

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 38 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list.According to our most recent data, Iowa supports 30,318 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Iowa]](/colleges/university-of-iowa/student-life/veterans/)

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 4 masters’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list.Among the 31,822 students enrolled at Iowa State University, 814 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 388 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,933. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 Iowa State University]](/colleges/iowa-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s parks and rec degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list.Among the 9,507 students enrolled at UNI, 251 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,033. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNI 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Northern Iowa Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 5 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, William Penn University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified masters’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William Penn University, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking.Of the 1,350 students enrolled at William Penn University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. William Penn University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

5
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand View University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec for a Master’s list. Grand View University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our iowa master’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Grand View University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking.According to our most recent data, Grand View University supports 1,874 students, and 86 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 38 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,256. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Grand View University]](/colleges/grand-view-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

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