Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies at Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State's Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies program reports first-year earnings of $42,389—well above the national median of $34,451 and even exceeding Missouri's top-ranked program at Mizzou. However, before getting too excited, note that these figures come from a very small sample of fewer than 30 graduates, which means a few high earners can significantly skew the numbers upward.

The debt picture is more straightforward: at $25,250, graduates are borrowing right at the Missouri median but moderately more than the national average. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.60, the typical graduate would need about seven months of gross income to repay their loans—a manageable burden if those earnings hold up. The program's ranking in the 60th percentile within Missouri suggests that while the reported earnings are strong, they're not dramatically outpacing in-state alternatives when you look at the broader field.

Given the small sample size, treat these numbers as encouraging but not definitive. If your child is genuinely interested in recreation management and the program offers strong industry connections or internship opportunities that explain those higher earnings, this could work out well. Just recognize you're making this decision with limited data points—what happens when the next cohort reports could look quite different.