Best Recreation Management Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 6 accredited schools offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $13,365 to $45,174 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In Massachusetts, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Lodging Manager at a median $97,350 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Recreation Management Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer recreation management programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Springfield College

Springfield, MA 18.3 miles from Amherst BOC Score 46.2
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,036
Avg net price $30,587/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education

Springfield, MA 18.6 miles from Amherst BOC Score 51.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,036
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts recreation management page.


Recreation Management Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Entertainment and Recreation Manager$89,450MA statewide$89,271
Recreation Worker$36,280Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$36,208
Lodging Manager$97,350MA statewide$97,156

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Amherst at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited recreation management schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 6 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Amherst. The closest is Springfield College in Springfield, MA (18.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of New Hampshire-Main Campus (96.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying recreation management roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles near Amherst are: Lodging Manager ($97,350), Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($89,450), Recreation Worker ($36,280). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local recreation management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Recreation Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Amherst

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.