Top 5 Online Bachelors in Recreation Management Degree Programs

The industry for sports managers is expanding. That’s why it’s become increasingly important to earn a degree that gets your foot in the door of this competitive industry—one in which hirings and firings tend to come and go with the openings and closings of the various athletic seasons. Earning a bachelor’s degree is one of the best and most surefire ways to guarantee job security, while simultaneously ensuring a degree of consistency in the quality and quantity of a sports manager’s work. Another one of the best ways to guarantee job security in sports management is to select a career path with high demand and low turnover. Jobs in recreation management tend to possess both of these qualities, as well as more flexibility than most. That’s because with interest in health and fitness rising everywhere, recreation managers are in high demand to direct health and fitness programs in multiple industries. From local and national gyms, to intercollegiate and professional athletics programs, to medical and healthcare professions, almost every industry is asking recreation managers to come in, work hard, and stay on. But before they do that, they look for the requisite qualifications. Here are the Top 6 Online Bachelor’s in Recreation Management to help you make the cut.

Methodology:

  • Affordability (1/3): the average out-of-state tuition per credit hour
  • Flexibility (1/3): if the program offers additional specializations and/or an accelerated track
  • Academic Prestige (1/3): the rank of the school’s parent institution according to US News

The following is a comprehensive list of the top online programs for obtaining a bachelor’s degree in recreation management. These schools are ranked through analyzing publicly available data, taking into account job prospects for graduates, cost of tuition, and the overall academic quality of the program.

1. Florida International University

Florida International University is a public research university located in the metropolitan area of Miami, Florida. FIU’s seventeen athletics teams compete at the highest intercollegiate level of NCAA Division 1. FIU is also the youngest university in the United States to be awarded a chapter by the venerable and prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society, making it one of the most academically reputable schools in both the state and the nation. As one of the largest schools in the nation, FIU supports an enrollment of over 54,000 students, a growing portion of which attend classes online. It is also well-known for having one of the “best buy” or “best value” educations in the world, placing at or near the top of such institutions according to both global and national ranking indexes.

FIU’s Online Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sport Management is fully online and can be completed in four years. Its curriculum blends athletic and business fundamentals to create real-world applications of what students learn in the classroom. Courses cover subjects as diverse and in-depth as finance, law, marketing, human resources management, and sports sociology. The program also guarantees two internships, which is more hands-on experience than many comparable programs can promise. FIU’s online course delivery methods also allows students to take classes at a self-paced rate, which gives working professionals the flexibility they need to complete all their other tasks while simultaneously completing their degrees. These course delivery methods also enable online learners to receive real-time feedback from instructors and fellow classmates, as well as the opportunity to work one-on-one with a personal success coach. With as many provisions as these and a price tag as low as that below, it’s no wonder Florida International University can be said to offer one of the best online bachelor’s in recreation management.

2. University of Minnesota Crookston

The University of Minnesota Crookston is a public four-year university located in its namesake of Crookston, Minnesota. UMC’s eleven athletics teams compete at the intercollegiate level of NCAA Division II. In 1993, the same year it began offering bachelor’s degrees 1993, UMC also began innovating in the realm of technology, and it became one of the first universities to offer laptops to all students and faculty, a trend that approximately 100 other colleges and universities followed shortly afterward. As one of the smaller public schools in the state, UMC supports an enrollment of around 1,800 students, a growing portion of which attend classes online. It is also well-known for being one of the colleges with the best educations in the Midwest, placing consistently among such institutions according to both global and national ranking indexes since 1998.

UMC’s Bachelor of Science in Sport and Recreation Management is offered completely online and can be completed in four years. Its curriculum consists of classes that cover topics as diverse and varied as business, finance, marketing, health, sports law, sports psychology, and human resources management, among others. The program also includes internship opportunities that provide students with the hands-on learning experience they will need to land jobs in sports management and recreation. Having been among the earliest universities to adopt online course delivery methods, UMC’s online curriculum is technology-driven in its express focus on the importance of communication and fostering human relationships. Such an emphasis on the importance of technology, teambuilding, and communication, especially within an online learning environment, go a long way toward helping learners achieve a job in the increasingly technology-dependent industry of sports. Such are the hallmarks of a great online bachelor’s in recreation management.

3. California State University, East Bay

California State University, East Bay is a public university located in the East Bay subregion of California’s San Francisco Bay Area. Cal State East Bay’s fifteen athletics teams compete at the intercollegiate level of NCAA Division II. As of 2015, Cal State East Bay has been designated a top-tier graduate degree-offering institution, the most ethnically diverse college in California, as well as the fifth most ethnically diverse university in the entire United States, all of which make it one of the most ethnically diverse and academically reputable schools in the state and the nation. As one of the “Best in the West,” Cal State East Bay supports an enrollment of over 15,528 students, a growing portion of which attend classes online. It is also known for having some of the best online degree programs in the United States.

Cal State East Bay’s Bachelor of Science in Recreation is 100% online and can be completed in four years. Its curriculum is designed to prepare students to become leaders in recreation and leisure management, so they can help others achieve the highest quality of life possible. The program also includes work with faculty who are both current and former industry professionals, so that students will gain advice from experts who have learned what they know from hands-on experience in the recreation industry. The program also possesses the added flexibility of a choice between two focus options, either Leisure Management or Recreation Therapy. And since the program is offered through the Department of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, it broadens the career horizons for sports managers, allowing them the flexibility to work in both the recreation industry and the leisure industry, or any combination thereof. Cal State East Bay’s online delivery method also allows students to take classes at a self-paced rate, which gives working professionals the flexibility they need to complete all their other tasks while simultaneously completing their degrees. This flexibility, along with its price tag and rising reputation, places Cal State East Bay among the best online bachelor’s in recreation.

4. University of Nebraska at Omaha

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public university located in its namesake of Omaha, Nebraska. UNO’s fifteen athletics teams compete at the intercollegiate level of NCAA Division I, having recently made the move from Division II in 2011. Serving as Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university, UNO has tripled its housing and development since the year 2000 and plans to support over 20,000 students by the year 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing schools in the state and the nation. Hosting many departments and degree programs that are now climbing to the top in the nation, UNO currently supports an enrollment of over 15,528 students, a growing portion of which attend classes online. UNO is also known for hosting some of the best online degree programs in the United States.

UNO’s Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Leisure Studies is fully online and can be completed in four years. As part of a degree from UNO’s Division of Continuing Studies, its curriculum is designed to prepare students for managerial or generalist careers in public, nonprofit, or commercial recreation/leisure agencies. This panoramic approach trains learners to gain a knowledge base in the history and philosophy of recreation and leisure, as well as to practice the leadership skills necessary to either pursue an advanced degree or earn a job in numerous verticals throughout recreation industry. UNO’s online delivery method is instructor-led and live-streamed, which mean that courses often maintain regular meeting times and weekly schedules. Flexibility comes with the option to log on wherever a student pleases, and quality is ensured by a guarantee of the same student services available to on-campus students. Along with its price tag, this quality guarantee places the University of Nebraska Omaha’s online bachelor’s in recreation among the best in the U.S.

5. San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University is a public university located in its namesake of San Francisco, California. SFSU’s eleve athletics teams compete at the intercollegiate level of NCAA Division II, as well as the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State East Bay offers great variety of degree programs, including 118 bachelor’s and 94 master’s degree programs, all of which help make it one of the 25 largest universities in the state. Supporting an enrollment of over 30,000 students, SFSU produces some of the most socially mobile students by payscale, many of whom attend classes online. It is also known for its campus diversity, friendly attitude toward transfer students, and its up-and-coming College of Extended Learning.

SFSU’s Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration is fully online and can be completed in four years. Its curriculum is focused around four emphasis areas: Community Recreation and Health; Event Planning, Tourism, and Commercial Recreation; Nonprofit Recreation; and Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Natural Resources. Each of theses focus areas is also structured around an internship with an agency of the student’s choice, offered so that students will gain advice from experts who have learned what they know from hands-on experience in numerous verticals across the recreation industry. And because the program ranges across multiple fields of interest, it broadens the career horizons for sports managers, allowing them the flexibility to work in both the recreation industry, the parks industry, the tourism agency, or any combination thereof. SFSU’s online delivery method also allows students to take classes at a self-paced rate, which gives working professionals the flexibility they need to complete all their other tasks while simultaneously completing their degrees. This flexibility, along with its price tag and rising reputation, places the San Francisco State’s online bachelor’s in recreation among the best in the U.S.