Best Recreation Management Schools Near Athens, OH (2026)

Athens, Ohio has 1 accredited school offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $9,162 to $20,342 per year for indexed programs. Athens has a population of about 23,211. Median household income is $37,059 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 67.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Ohio, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Entertainment and Recreation Manager at a median $58,440 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Recreation Management Schools to Athens

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer recreation management programs near Athens, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Athens 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 Athens. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Cincinnati, OH 131.1 miles from Athens BOC Score 50.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,137
Avg net price $4,968/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kent State University at Kent

Kent, OH 132.2 miles from Athens BOC Score 53.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,388
Avg net price $20,787/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Baldwin Wallace University

Berea, OH 141.7 miles from Athens BOC Score 58.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,122
Avg net price $27,603/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lakeland Community College

Kirtland, OH 164.4 miles from Athens BOC Score 43.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,612
Avg net price $7,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Recreation Management Wages Near Athens

OccupationMedian Annual Wage (Ohio, statewide)
Entertainment and Recreation Manager$58,440
Recreation Worker$32,420
Lodging Manager$48,690

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.


Athens at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population23,211Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$37,059Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+67.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)

Other Athens-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited recreation management schools are near Athens, OH?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Athens. The closest is Marshall University in Huntington, WV (65.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Marshall University (65.0 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying recreation management roles in Ohio?

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles in Ohio are: Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($58,440), Lodging Manager ($48,690), Recreation Worker ($32,420). Wages for Athens workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Parkersburg instead of Athens?

Parkersburg, WV is 30.1 miles from Athens 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.

Is Athens an affordable place to study recreation management?

Athens’s median household income of $37,059 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Athens while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

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 Athens

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

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.