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Program Overview

The PRT program engages students in an integrative study of parks, recreation, and tourism. Students learn about planning and managing recreation, travel, and leisure systems for individual well-being, environmental quality, and societal benefit. The program offers combines foundational knowledge in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences with professional skills in planning, business operations, and managerial skills.

We aim to instill in our students the values of community engagement, creative adaptation, and life-long learning.

Concentrations

Students can select a concentration in either Tourism Planning and Management or Recreation Leadership and Environmental Education.

Curriculum

All Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) students must complete the Rubenstein School Core Curriculum, 8 required courses in the PRT program, and courses from their chosen thematic concentration.

Popular Courses

• Tourism Planning
• Parks and Protected Areas
• Ski Area Management
• Resort Marketing and Management
• Ecotourism
• Outdoor Recreation Planning
• Environmental Interpretation
• Entrepreneurship in Recreation and Tourism

Admissions

¶¶Òõ̽̽ Undergraduate Admissions

Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

The Parks, Recreation, and Tourism program provides students with an academic foundation for professional leadership in the categories below.

Sustainability

Students will be able to:

• Explain how natural and social systems constrain and challenge sustainability within parks, recreation, and tourism settings.
• Devise and advocate for policy alternatives and business, managerial, and operational solutions that balance positive leisure outcomes with environmental protection.
• Feature sustainability principles and practices as a centerpiece in their business and management plans.

High-quality leisure experiences and human well-being

Students will be able to:

• Apply a basic understanding of human perception and social behavior to recreation and tourism programs and services that enhance the well-being of participants and that provide beneficial improvements for the host destination.
• Evaluate the design and delivery of recreation and tourism related programs and draw connections between specific programmatic elements and the beneficial outcomes that contribute to health and well-being of participants.

Recreation and tourism development for community well-being

Students will be able to:

• Apply planning and management frameworks to recreation, tourism, and sport destinations/events that help develop local and regional economies, build community capacity, and enhance the quality of life in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
• Demonstrate an entry level ability to research and prepare tourism related business plans, management plans for parks and protected areas, event plans, grant applications, community plans, and other resource-based management plans.

After Graduation

Careers

• Environmental Outreach Specialist
• Community Planner
• Aquatic Ecologist
• Field Ecologist
• Natural Resources Manager
• Sustainability Program Specialist
• Policy Analyst
• GIS Analyst
• ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Analyst

Where Alumni Work

• Non-profit environmental & social organizations
• Regional planning commissions
• Local, State, and Federal Government agencies
• Land conservation organizations
• Private consulting firms

Where Alumni Study

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Colorado, Boulder and Denver
• Vermont Law School
• Pace University
• University of Vermont

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