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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 67 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$198,573 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

55.5 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−82%Estimated return after 10 years
$49,369Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$49,369 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$49,369Typical earnings four years after completion
$51,397Average earnings five years after completion
$22,500Typical federal student debt
20thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
5Degrees awarded in 2024–25
63College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 4 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies

How much do Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $49,369 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $22,500. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $45,159 to $54,563 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 1 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$33,834
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$49,369
Federal debt
$22,500
Programs in the comparison
67
63 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$58,002
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$54,041
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$45,159National median$49,36975th percentile$54,563
63 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$54,56375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$22,500Median federal debt across programs that report it
10Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

$75,181 four years after completionSan Luis Obispo, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Brigham Young University

$12,000 among completer borrowersProvo, UT · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of Missouri-Columbia

89 reported awards in 2024–25Columbia, MO · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$64,104Observed year-4 earnings$50,832
$9,320Annual college-wide average net price$22,531
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$75,1812California State University, East Bay$68,2273University of South Dakota$64,1044Brigham Young University$63,0805University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$61,3136University of Utah$59,8557California State University, Chico$59,7658California State University, Sacramento$59,0419Metropolitan State University of Denver$57,81010Indiana University-Bloomington$57,334

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$77,270 median wage12,630 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,900–$134,890 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness

Year-4 earnings
$53,190
Federal debt
$25,946
660 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management

Year-4 earnings
$49,799
Federal debt
$25,000
57 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Outdoor Education

Year-4 earnings
$35,579
Federal debt
Not available
3 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other

Year-4 earnings
$40,250
Federal debt
$23,226
3 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA9 programs$58,373 average earningsOH7 programs$50,003 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.