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Recreation superintendent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a recreation superintendent. Recreation superintendents usually study recreation management, business, or education. 70% of recreation superintendents hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 160 real recreation superintendent resumes to see exactly what recreation superintendent education sections show.

The most common colleges for recreation superintendents are the Illinois State University and the Illinois State University.

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

What education do you need to become a recreation superintendent?

What degree do you need to be a recreation superintendent?

The most common degree for recreation superintendents is bachelor's degree, with 70% of recreation superintendents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 2%

What should I major in to become a recreation superintendent?

You should major in recreation management to become a recreation superintendent. 31% of recreation superintendents major in recreation management. Other common majors for a recreation superintendent include business and education.

Most common colleges for recreation superintendents

Recreation superintendents often get their degrees at Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Western Illinois University. Here are the most common colleges for recreation superintendents in the US based on their resumes.
Recreation superintendent common collegePercentages
Illinois State University10.87%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale8.70%
Western Illinois University6.52%
Western Washington University4.35%
Montclair State University4.35%

Best majors for recreation superintendents

RankMajorPercentages
1Recreation Management31.4%
2Business9.8%
3Education9.8%
4Kinesiology8.8%
5Health Education7.8%

Best colleges for recreation superintendents

The best colleges for recreation superintendents are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A recreation 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 recreation 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 recreation superintendents.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,938

Enrollment

9,391

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for recreation superintendents

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Top 10 most affordable universities for recreation superintendents

The most affordable schools for recreation superintendents are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for recreation 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 recreation superintendents.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for recreation superintendents

The hardest universities for recreation superintendents to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for recreation 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 recreation 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

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

The easiest schools for recreation superintendents to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a recreation 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 recreation superintendents.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average recreation superintendent salary by education level

According to our data, recreation superintendents with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,271 annually. Recreation superintendents with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $55,562.
Recreation superintendent education levelRecreation superintendent salary
Master's Degree$59,271
High School Diploma or Less$44,085
Bachelor's Degree$55,562
Some College/ Associate Degree$51,087

Recreation 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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