How To Fund a Master's Degree in Recreation
Graduates with Master's degrees in recreation often gain employment as recreation designers, administrators or recreational therapists. It will take a student about two years to earn a Master's in recreation. During that time, the student will learn the operations of various leisure settings that typically include parks, camps, sports facilities and rehabilitation centers. Funding for a graduate degree in recreation will typically come from four different sources. These sources include money from employment, internships, student loans and scholarships or grants.
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Instructions
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Apply for any grants or scholarships offered to students majoring in recreation. Each school has different options available, so you should check with your admissions or financial aid department to see what's available to you. For example, Indiana State University offers five different scholarships to students majoring in recreation and sport management (see Resources). Each scholarship program will have its own set of criteria you'll have to meet. Some will require essays to apply, while others will base their decision on you academic performance. When applying, read the criteria carefully and follow all the instructions exactly.
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Make money as an intern to help pay for school. Speak with your adviser, or the career department at your university to inquire about working as an intern in the field of recreation. For example, Boulder Colorado offers many different internships opportunities for students in areas such as golf course management, urban forestry, parks and planning, therapeutic recreation and programs administration.
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Pay as much as you can out of pocket from regular employment. If you're able to work while you're in school, get a job and use as much of the money earned as you can toward paying for your degree. You can also check with the financial aid department at your school to see if you qualify for a work-study program. Even if you're unable to work during the school year, you could use summer breaks to earn some extra cash to put toward your bill. Ideally, you'll want to try and find employment related to your field of study. Some entry level positions in recreation include parks landscaper, parks office worker, tour guide, recreation aide and groundskeeper.
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Apply for student loans to cover the rest of the balance. You'll want to minimize your amount of debt as much as possible, so after you deduct your scholarships and grants from your cost of education, try to pay as much of the remaining balance as you can before taking out student loans. For graduate students in recreation, there are three different categories of graduate loans available. These categories include Stafford loans, private loans and PLUS loans. Your school's financial aid department will walk you through the application process for getting any of these loans. To get started, you'll want to complete your FAFSA application and sign your Master Promissory Note (see Resources). After you complete these steps, your school will tell you which types of loans you qualify for and your approval amounts.
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