About this Degree
Connect people with the outdoors with a major in parks, recreation, and tourism management. This program is ideal for anyone who wants to work outdoors and teach others about the environment. Learn to create educational programs, manage natural resources for outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism, and help people interact with the environment.
Students learn real-world skills and tools needed to identify, understand, and manage complex human-environment issues. This includes an emphasis on understanding significant historical developments, developing services and programs, managing for recreational impacts, and recognizing the importance of sustainable development.
What you will learn
Courses teach the "human dimensions" of natural resources, helping students better understand the role that people play in sustainable outdoor recreation and tourism. Learn what makes tourism sustainable, how to cultivate environmental awareness through outdoor recreation, managing wilderness areas to accommodate visitors, and the business skills needed to run a successful eco-tourism or recreation enterprise.
The curriculum offers opportunities for students to study abroad on one of our many study abroad programs including Antarctica, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Other Academic Information
Students pursuing the parks, recreation, and tourism major may be able to complete one or more of the following programs alongside their major.
Student Organizations
Employment Information
Possible Job Titles
Tourism director
Park manager
Environmental educator
Naturalist
Outdoor adventure guide
Entrepreneur
Employers
You can find many of our graduates working at state and national parks, where they are leaders in their field. Others move into environmental interpretation or education, work as directors at municipal parks and leisure service offices, for tourism boards, or work in the eco-tourism industry.
This degree also sets graduates up for working as a business owner in a tourism-related field.
Other Relevant Information
Research
Faculty research includes topics such as sustainable business models, motivations for tourists, eco-tourism, and the influence social media has on travel. Students are encouraged to assist in faculty and graduate student projects.
