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2025 Best Recreation Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

4 Colleges in the Plains States Region
142 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$34,812 Avg Early-Career Salary
Recreation Administration is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #163 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for recreation administration students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 142 degrees in recreation administration annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Recreation Administration School

Best Recreation Administration Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of recreation administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Recreation Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Recreation Administration Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Master's Degrees in Recreation Admin

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Recreation Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Recreation Administration in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of recreation admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Plains States Region Schools in Recreation Admin

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$36,220 Median Starting Salary

Minnesota State University - Mankato is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in recreation administration. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #412 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year. After graduating, recreation admin degree recipients usually earn around $36,220 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Minnesota State University - Mankato

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SD
22.2% Growth in Graduates

South Dakota State University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in recreation administration. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were about 27 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from South Dakota State University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,083 Median Starting Salary

Kansas State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in recreation administration. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #269 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the recreation administration program at Kansas State University earn $2,271 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Kansas State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MO

Every student who is interested in recreation administration needs to look into Missouri Western State University. Located in the small city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 40th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 10 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Western in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Missouri Western State University

Best Recreation Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best recreation administration schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 57
Missouri 283 39
Kansas 266 22
Iowa 264 1
Nebraska 238 8
North Dakota 210 0
South Dakota 204 25

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Recreation Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Recreation Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 113
Golf Course Operation & Grounds Management 26
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 3

View All Recreation Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 4,990
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 396
Outdoor Education 35
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 19

View All Recreation Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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