Missouri·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9072

Best Entertainment programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate entertainment and recreational activities and operations of a recreational facility, including cruise ships and.

59 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 7,058 people a year. The job pays a median of $83,620 in Missouri across about 370 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledEvents ManagerGolf Course ManagerRecreation DirectorRecreation SuperintendentClub ManagerPark ManagerPool ManagerCamp Director
Graduates / yr
7,058
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$83,620
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
370
people employed
Schools
59
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,095
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Missouri page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Missouri
3,651
51.7%
48$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0101In Missouri
3,023
42.8%
23$44,700$24,000
3
CIP 31.0504In Missouri
280
4.0%
17$30,426$25,643
4
CIP 52.0901In Missouri
73
1.0%
5$34,218$23,364
5
CIP 31.0301In Missouri
30
0.4%
5$33,076$25,000
6
CIP 03.0207In Missouri
1
0.0%
1$37,946$24,125

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 40 of the 59 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
1,060Business/Commerce, General$55,99975%78%
2University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
439Business/Commerce, General$48,92857%63%
3Webster University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
435Business Administration and Management, General$45,11964%$25,09086%
4University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
431Business/Commerce, General$48,60355%72%
5Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 5 feeder programs
427Business Administration and Management, General$40,96858%91%
6Park University
Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
410Business Administration and Management, General$53,20138%$16,013
7Columbia College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
406Business/Commerce, General$48,32942%$23,247
8Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
303Business/Commerce, General$47,82149%$17,43657%
9Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
275Business Administration and Management, General$43,67254%86%
10Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
256Business Administration and Management, General94%$14,12612%
11Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
229Business/Commerce, General66%$24,92195%
12Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
217Business Administration and Management, General$41,60458%74%
13Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
169Business/Commerce, General$44,26242%97%
14Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
161Business Administration and Management, General$51,88775%$21,89070%
15University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
160Business Administration and Management, General$42,58854%64%
16Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
127Business Administration and Management, General$34,64433%
17Missouri Baptist University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
108Business Administration and Management, General$42,46148%$25,40769%
18William Woods University
Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
107Business Administration and Management, General$40,01047%$22,20371%
19Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
94Business Administration and Management, General$41,90239%
20St Charles Community College
Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
93Business Administration and Management, General25%
21Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
92Business Administration and Management, General$48,37180%$24,88675%
22Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
91Business/Commerce, General$39,4350%$14,53588%
23North Central Missouri College
Trenton, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
78Business/Commerce, General58%
24Culver - Stockton College
Canton, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
69Business Administration and Management, General$41,98539%$21,26999%
25Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
61Business Administration and Management, General$38,55434%

All 59 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic1,0602
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic4393
Webster UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit4351
University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas CityPublic4312
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic4275
Park UniversityParkvillePrivate not-for-profit4101
Columbia CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit4063
Lindenwood UniversitySaint CharlesPrivate not-for-profit3032
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic2751
Washington University in St LouisSt. LouisPrivate not-for-profit2561
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit2293
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic2173
Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplinPublic1693
Rockhurst UniversityKansas CityPrivate not-for-profit1611
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic1602

What entertainment and recreation managers earn in Missouri

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Missouri
$83,620
Mean annual
$88,010
Jobs in state
370
What the range looks like
10th pct$48,740Median$83,62090th pct$130,830
Versus the national median
+5.2%

U.S. median $79,520. Missouri pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.52×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Missouri

St. Louis, MO-IL
$80,130median
260 jobs
Springfield, MO
$84,070median
40 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$69,990median
120 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+7.7%
Faster than average
Openings per year
5,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
3,300
43,200 → 46,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Entertainment and Recreation Managers page.

How to become a Entertainment

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Missouri

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Entertainment and Recreation Managers9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 03.0207Environmental/Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism
  • 31.0301Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General
  • 31.0302Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management
  • 31.0399Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, Other
  • 31.0504Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
  • 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.0901Hospitality Administration/Management, General
  • 52.0906Resort Management

Common questions

Answers for people weighing entertainment and recreation managers programs in Missouri.

What degree do you need to become an Entertainment?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 3,651 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 51.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Entertainment?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Sports, Hospitality Administration/Management, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 7,058 people a year in Missouri.

How much do entertainment and recreation managers earn in Missouri?+

The median is $83,620 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.2% above the U.S. median of $79,520. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for entertainment and recreation managers growing?+

BLS projects a +7.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Missouri?+

59 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do entertainment and recreation managers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Events Manager, Golf Course Manager, Recreation Director, Recreation Superintendent among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9072.

Entertainment and Recreation Managers in other statesCaliforniaTexasArizonaFloridaNew YorkIndianaNorth CarolinaVirginia

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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