Recreation Management · Iowa

Recreation Management colleges in Iowa

CampusPin lists 48 U.S. colleges in Iowa that offer Recreation Management programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.

Recreation Management trains you to plan, staff, and run parks, recreation programs, and indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, building skills in operations, safety, and community programming.

Schools in Iowa that offer Recreation Management

Recreation Management programs in Iowa: by the numbers

A quick comparison of the 48 schools listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.

Schools listed

48

Public / private

19 / 29

Universities / 2-year

31 / 17

Cities represented

36

In-state tuition range

$2,600–$52,576

Median in-state tuition

$19,970

Lowest published in-state tuition

Southeastern Community College

$2,600

Most selective

St Luke's College

44% acceptance

Largest by enrollment

Iowa State University

29,878 students

Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.

What you'll study in a Recreation Management program

  • Recreation programming and leisure-service delivery across age groups and seasons
  • Facility, grounds, and aquatic operations, including scheduling and maintenance planning
  • Risk management, emergency action plans, and recreation safety standards
  • Budgeting, fee setting, and revenue management for public and private recreation
  • Supervising part-time, seasonal, and volunteer staff
  • Public relations, community outreach, and stakeholder communication
  • Marketing and promotion of recreation programs and memberships
  • Park and facility planning, site use, and accessibility considerations
  • Recreation law, liability, permitting, and applicable codes and standards

Where a Recreation Management degree can lead

  • Recreation manager
  • Parks and recreation program coordinator
  • Recreation facility manager
  • Aquatics or pool manager
  • Campus or community recreation director
  • Camp or outdoor program director

Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling median $77,180).

Recreation Management studies how parks, community centers, campgrounds, aquatic complexes, trail systems, and other leisure facilities are designed, programmed, staffed, and kept safe. Coursework typically covers recreation programming and leisure-service delivery, facility and grounds operations, budgeting and revenue management, risk management and safety standards, public relations, and the basics of marketing and personnel supervision. Students often complete a supervised internship with a municipal parks department, a state or national park, a campus recreation office, or a private resort. Where Sports Management centers on the business of competitive athletics, teams, and venues, and Event Management focuses on planning discrete conferences and special events, Recreation Management is built around the ongoing operation of recreation sites and the year-round programs and services people use there.

Graduates often pursue roles in municipal and county parks departments, campus and military recreation, camps, resorts, aquatic centers, and outdoor-adventure programs, frequently starting as a coordinator or assistant and moving toward facility or program management. A bachelor's degree is a common entry point for management tracks, while community-college coursework and certificates support technician, coordinator, and frontline supervisory roles. A major is a foundation rather than a guarantee, and demand varies by region, season, and public-budget cycles. Where Exercise Science prepares students for clinical and performance work centered on the body, Recreation Management centers on the people, places, and operations behind leisure services. Many students pursue field-specific credentials and should verify current requirements directly with employers and certifying bodies.

In federal data for the closely related occupation of entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $77,180 and projects employment to grow about 7.7% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.

Recreation Management in other states

Other majors in Iowa

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Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 48+ Recreation Management programs in Iowa by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.

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