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Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
47 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
50
Optimistic
47
Base Case
41
Pessimistic
Earnings $37,233/yr (10% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (56% exposed)
Job Market Very Small (1,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $516K $375K $261K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 13.3x 9.6x 6.7x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 6.1x 4.4x 3.1x
Viable Career Paths 1 of 1 1 of 1 1 of 1
DegreeWorth Score 50 47 41

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$38,912
Out-of-state: $85,088
Median Debt at Graduation
$20,000
6.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$48,941
31% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 1,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary $75,890 1,100 +2.4% 56%

Compare & Explore

Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies at Other Schools

Brigham Young University ($47,596) California State University-East Bay ($43,700) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($43,149) Arizona State University Digital Immersion ($43,149) Metropolitan State University of Denver ($42,886) Northwest Missouri State University ($42,389) CUNY Lehman College ($41,484) California State University-Sacramento ($40,338)

Other Majors at University of Northern Iowa

Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians ($75,667) Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ($69,122) Construction Management ($68,698) Computer Science ($65,960) Accounting and Related Services ($61,088) Management Information Systems and Services ($58,197) Real Estate ($56,866) Finance and Financial Management Services ($52,759)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa?
This program scores 47/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 50 (optimistic) to 41 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies graduates retain 1 of 1 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $260,799 (pessimistic) to $516,242 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies graduates?
The career paths mapped to Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies have roughly 1,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very small job market.
Is Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.6x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.7x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.