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Park superintendent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a park superintendent. Park superintendents usually study recreation management, general studies, or forestry. 71% of park superintendents hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 195 real park superintendent resumes to see exactly what park superintendent education sections show.

The most common colleges for park superintendents are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

There are also many online park superintendent courses to help get the education required to be a park superintendent.

What education do you need to become a park superintendent?

What degree do you need to be a park superintendent?

The most common degree for park superintendents is bachelor's degree, with 71% of park superintendents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Associate, 16%
  • Master's, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a park superintendent?

You should major in recreation management to become a park superintendent. 11% of park superintendents major in recreation management. Other common majors for a park superintendent include general studies and forestry.

Most common colleges for park superintendents

Park superintendents often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Southeast Missouri State University. Here are the most common colleges for park superintendents in the US based on their resumes.
Park superintendent common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University9.52%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale9.52%
Southeast Missouri State University7.14%
West Virginia University7.14%
Stephen F Austin State University7.14%

Best majors for park superintendents

Best colleges for park superintendents

The best colleges for park superintendents are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A park superintendent with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for park superintendents. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become park superintendents.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for park superintendents

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Top 10 most affordable universities for park superintendents

The most affordable schools for park superintendents are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for park superintendents are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for park superintendents.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for park superintendents

The hardest universities for park superintendents to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for park superintendents are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for park superintendents based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for park superintendents

The easiest schools for park superintendents to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a park superintendent without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for park superintendents.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average park superintendent salary by education level

According to our data, park superintendents with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $44,574 annually. Park superintendents with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,667.
Park superintendent education levelPark superintendent salary
Master's Degree$38,667
Bachelor's Degree$35,337
Doctorate Degree$44,574

Park superintendent education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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