Recreation, Parks and Tourism, B.S. (A, L) or (R, A, L)*

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Outdoor Recreation and Leadership Concentration
Tourism and Special Events Concentration
Recreation Therapy Concentration

The mission of the Recreation, Parks and Tourism department is to academically engage students through diverse learning opportunities with an emphasis on experiential learning. This approach specifically targets the development of professional competencies in the areas of: (1) foundational knowledge, (2) program leadership, (3) administrative and management functions, and (4) professional skills and behavior. Emphasis is placed on developing the students’ critical thinking skills as the foundation for competency development. The ultimate goal is to produce effective leisure service professionals who are able to address the diverse challenges faced by contemporary society.

Our undergraduate program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions. The recreation therapy concentration meets eligibility requirements to take the national certification examination. COAPRT is accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.

REAL Curriculum

This major fulfills the A and L areas of the REAL Curriculum. Additionally, the Recreation Therapy concentration fulfills the R area of the REAL Curriculum. Students will study how leisure has shaped culture and its technical economical, and political significance in modern society. A full-semester internship will provide students with the opportunity to make practical use of principles, methods, knowledge, skills, and materials that have been developed or acquired in the academic program of study. Students concentrating in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership or Tourism and Special Events need majors/minors to fulfill the R and E areas to complete the REAL Curriculum requirements; Students concentrating in Recreation Therapy need a major/minor to fulfill the E area.

REAL Foundational Requirements

Foundational Writing (3 credits)

ENGL 111 - Principles of College Composition (GE)

Foundational Math (3 credits)

REAL Cornerstone Requirements

Writing Intensive (WI) Courses (6 credits)

Writing Intensive courses are denoted below with a (WI). Two writing intensive courses are required to graduate, with at least one at the 300- or 400-level.

General Education Requirements

General Education courses will be denoted below with a (GE). Students are required to take at least 30 credit hours of general education designated courses within their degree requirements. The Recreation, Parks, and Tourism major includes 12 general education credits. The Recreation Therapy concentration satisfies general education requirements.

Major Requirements (49-70 credits)

BS Requirement (6-8 credits)

6-8 credits outside of the RCPT prefix. REAL Foundational Requirements (ENGL 111 , MATH 100 , MATH 121 , MATH 125 ) do not fulfill this requirement.

Required Core Courses (28-31 credits)

Concentrations (15-39 credits)

Students must choose one of the following concentrations:

Outdoor Recreation and Leadership Concentration (A, L) (15 credits)

Choose 15 credits from the following:

Tourism and Special Events Concentration (A, L) (15 credits)

Choose 15 credits from the following:

Recreation Therapy Concentration (R, A, L) (39 credits)

Required Courses (18 credits)

Additional Requirements (21 credits)

The following courses are required as part of student eligibility for entry into the National Certification Examination through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. These courses also fulfill BS and GE requirements.

Additional Concentration Requirements

A 2.7 overall grade point average (GPA) is required or entry into the following courses: RCPT 340 , RCPT 342 , RCPT 344 , RCPT 400 , and RCPT 445 . All recreation therapy concentration courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better for graduation. All RCPT curses are used for the calculation of the major grade point average. Recreation therapy concentration students must complete RCPT 470 Internship for 12 credits.

Open Credit Hours (50-71 hours)

These credits can be used to fulfill additional courses, majors, minors, and/or REAL Curriculum requirements, including Foundational Wiritng and Foundational Math.

Total Credits Needed for Degree 120

Additional Information

To enroll in RCPT 470 , a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.