College of Education Health and Human Services
School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration
www.kent.edu/ehhs/fla

About This Program

The Recreation, Park and Tourism Management B.S. program is perfect for students interested in sharing their passions and making a difference in people’s lives. From outdoor recreation, travel and sports, to camping, performing/visual arts and health and fitness. Read more...

Contact Information

• Program Coordinator: Mary Parr | mparr@kent.edu | 330-672-0217
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers

• Managers and leaders with public/community park and recreation services 
• Managers and leaders with non-profit recreation agencies 
• Managers and leaders providing recreation, outdoor recreation, or tourism services to specialized groups such as youth, senior/older adults, people with disabilities, immigrant communities, marginalized populations 
• Managers and leaders with health and wellness organization and services 
• Managers and leaders who plan special events/community-wide events 
• Managers and leaders with tourism services and agencies 
• Interpreters, guides, managers, leaders with historic, cultural, nature-based organizations 
• Park rangers, interpreters, guides, naturalists with regional, state, and national parks 
• Leaders and organizers with outdoor recreation agencies 

Accreditation

Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT)

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

Current Kent State and Transfer Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and earned a minimum 2.000 overall Kent State GPA to be admitted. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.

Program Requirements

¹

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

Park Management Concentration Requirements

Recreation Management Concentration Requirements

¹

With permission, students who complete RPTM 16000 and RPTM 16001 may register for HEM 20040.

Tourism Management Concentration Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Roadmaps

Roadmaps

Park Management Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Recreation Management Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Tourism Management Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.

Kent Core Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Articulate the impact of inclusive policies and practices targeted toward underrepresented individuals and groups including, but not limited to disability, race and/or ethnicity, age, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.
2. Identify principles of inclusion, modification, and laws related to equal opportunity, and select strategies to mitigate barriers influencing recreation participation for people with disabilities.  
3. Outline the historical, scientific, and philosophical foundations of the field.
4. Differentiate the nature and scope of the industry; including critical aspects of program development, service development, management, and the components of leisure service delivery systems and various providers and levels of recreation.
5. Analyze and apply common management roles, responsibilities, and approaches applicable to the field and the leadership styles and practices related to personnel management.
6. Investigate public relations and marketing strategies, planning and development issues, and fiscal/budgetary management.
7. Illustrate site specific attributes in relation to the RPTM field and the components of professional practice for successful engagement with the site.
8. Model ethical, professional, appropriate behavior, and the ability to communicate effectively in oral, visual, and written forms.
9.  Apply basic principles of the program development cycle for recreation services and modifications for inclusivity.
10. Engage in academic research, writing, and evaluation of literature and data for evidence-based improvement of services in leisure science.

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management provides students with an academic foundation and field experiences in preparation for the recreation, park and tourism professions. The program is comprised of three concentrations:

• The Park Management concentration focuses on providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and protecting the natural, cultural and historic resources on which those opportunities depend. Complementary minors include Disability Studies and Community Inclusion, Biology for Environmental Management and Conservation.
• The Recreation Management concentration focuses on providing opportunities for individuals and community health and wellbeing through recreation and parks in public, nonprofit and commercial settings. Complementary minors include: Disability Studies and Community Inclusion, Nonprofit Studies, Event Planning,
• The Tourism Management concentration focuses on providing entrepreneurial services for tourism industries as well as sustainable tourism destination management. Complementary minors include: Disability Studies and Community Inclusion, Event Planning, Business Management.