College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation
Parks and Recreation Management, Bachelor of Science
Overview
In addition to University Requirements:
- 48 - 56 units of major requirements
- 18 - 24 units of minor, emphasis, or individualized study requirements
- Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy General Studies Requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.
- Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion |
120 |
| Major GPA |
C |
| Highest Mathematics Required |
STA 270 |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship |
Required |
| University Honors Program |
Optional |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan |
Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A |
Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link |
Not Available |
| Emphasis, Minor, or Coursework Required |
An emphasis, minor, or coursework is required for this major. |
Purpose Statement
The Parks and Recreation Management (PRM) program fulfills the discipline of preparing students for careers in parks, recreation, tourism, and related fields. The program provides an equitable, inclusive, and justice-oriented approach to education that develops students' critical thinking skills and competencies needed for these careers.
The curriculum incorporates experiential learning opportunities, scaffolds pedagogies, and skills, and encourages curiosity through relationships with self, community, and world. Students develop competencies in program delivery, outdoor recreation, event management, community engagement, environmental education, and more based on their chosen emphasis area.
Outdoor Education and Leadership
The Outdoor Education and Leadership (OEL) provides specialized skills and certification for students interested in careers in outdoor and environmental education, adventure leadership, guide services, and related fields. Students develop competencies in backcountry medicine, outdoor leadership, experiential education curriculum design and delivery, Leave No Trace ethics and training, and organizational management. In the OEL focus area, students obtain a Wilderness First Responder Medical Certification, Leave No Trace Level-2 Instructor Certification, and the ability to effectively lead groups outdoors, develop and deliver environmental education programming, and analyze outdoor-focused organizations. Graduates are prepared for opportunities such as outdoor educators, wilderness guides, adventure program leaders, park naturalists, environmental interpreters, and related roles supporting healthy, ethical engagement with the natural world.
Community and Commercial and Tourism
Community, Commercial & Tourism (CCT) provides students with skills and knowledge related to planning and managing programs, events, facilities, and services for community recreation, commercial recreation businesses, sustainable tourism, and hospitality. Students develop competencies in event planning, sponsorship, marketing, budgeting, financial analysis, cross-cultural program design, sustainable tourism development, hospitality services, recreation facilities operation, and environmental and cultural interpretation. They gain abilities to organize events, track finances, design inclusive programs, apply tourism and hospitality best practices, and promote environmental awareness. Graduates are prepared for careers such as special event coordinators, recreation supervisors, tourism development specialists, program managers, commercial recreation entrepreneurs, and related roles serving communities and businesses through accessible programming and sustainable tourism.
Further, students may use an Individualized Study or relevant minors, such as the Natural Resource Law Enforcement minor, to complement their career interests, while completing the academic requirements of their bachelor's degree in PRM.
The PRM program prepares students for opportunities to serve communities in positions like recreation programmers, park rangers, tourism coordinators, outdoor educators, event planners, community engagement specialists, environmental advocates, and more. Graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to promote justice, foster healthy communities, and contribute to a sustainable future in their careers.
Student Learning Outcomes
The core curriculum of the PRM bachelor's degree aligns with the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT).
- Demonstrate the following entry-level knowledge:
- The nature and scope of the relevant park, recreation, tourism, or related professions and their associated industries.
- Techniques and processes used by professionals and workers in these industries.
- The foundation of the profession in history, science, and philosophy.
- Demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
- Demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
- Demonstrate the sustained ability to apply the recreation process, use diverse, structured ways of thinking to solve problems related to different facets of professional practice, engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.
- Assess the importance of ethics in recreation leadership.
Community, Commercial & Tourism Emphasis
- Create, organize, identify sponsors, market, implement, and evaluate community events.
- Describe the fundamental concepts and principles of ecotourism and sustainable development as they relate to transportation, lodging, and cultural impacts.
- Use accounting and budgeting practices to prepare, analyze, and interpret financial statements.
- Respond to budgetary constraints while achieving positive guest outcomes.
- Develop, use, and evaluate appropriate and effective strategies to address cultural differences, values, and expectations in the planning and implementation of recreation programming.
- Plan, design, and operate recreation facilities and adjoining areas to increase tourism, commercial, and community benefits.
- Design programming in a manner that best promotes cultural and environmental awareness.
Outdoor Education & Leadership Emphasis
- Make critical decisions related to injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment, and evacuation of patient(s), through the application of wilderness first responder training, in response to medical and outdoor emergencies, while in wilderness and other remote backcountry settings.
- Implement the basic hard and soft skills necessary to competently lead others in outdoor environments of the Southwest with a focus on canyon terrain.
- Develop experiential curriculum lesson plans and effectively deliver them to a predetermined audience in a wilderness environment.
- Lead Leave No Trace Level-1 Instructor Courses, Awareness Workshops, and Skills Courses within the standards of the Leave No Trace Level-2 Instructor Certification.
- Analyze an in-depth case study of an outdoor non-profit organization and/or for-profit company of their choosing.
- Develop a personal signature leadership style that is situationally appropriate for effectively leading others in a backcountry setting.
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