Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management at Florida International University

FIU's Parks and Recreation program graduates earn notably less than their peers across Florida—landing in just the 25th percentile statewide with first-year earnings of $29,862 compared to the state median of $35,454. That's concerning in a field where the University of Florida, the clear state leader, pushes graduates to $41,046. The gap widens when you look nationally: these graduates earn about $3,300 less than the typical parks and recreation graduate elsewhere, placing them in the bottom fifth of similar programs nationwide.

The debt picture offers some relief—at $19,000, it's slightly below Florida's median for this field and represents a manageable 64% of first-year earnings. The 24% earnings growth to $37,140 by year four shows graduates do gain ground, though they're still trailing state and national benchmarks at that point. For a field already on the lower end of the salary spectrum, starting nearly $6,000 behind Florida peers creates a challenging launch into the workforce.

If your child is set on this field in Florida, the data suggests looking at UF or other programs where graduates command higher starting salaries. The lower debt here doesn't offset the earnings gap—you're still talking about years of earning less than comparable graduates across the state for similar or lower debt loads.