Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management at University of St Francis

Recreation management degrees typically lead to fulfilling but modestly compensated careers, and the estimated figures from comparable Illinois programs suggest this reality applies here. With first-year earnings around $35,425—essentially the state median for these programs—graduates would carry an estimated $27,000 in debt, creating a manageable but not insignificant burden of about 76 cents of debt per dollar earned.

What's puzzling is the four-year earnings drop to $32,159, which falls below both the first-year estimate and the national median. This could reflect actual employment patterns in recreation management, where advancement isn't always linear, or it might be a quirk of the small sample sizes that led to data suppression. Similar programs at Illinois State ($39,104) and Eastern Illinois ($35,425) show stronger outcomes, though Western Illinois trails at $28,978, indicating considerable variation across the state.

For parents, this means weighing whether passion for parks and recreation work justifies earnings that will likely remain in the low-to-mid thirties. The estimated debt load isn't crushing—it's close to the national median for these programs—but it will take discipline to manage on a recreation professional's salary. If your student is committed to this field, the program appears workable, but consider whether comparable state schools might offer better value given the range of outcomes across Illinois institutions.