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

About This Program

The Park Management minor prepares students to have specialties in their careers in outdoor recreation and parks. Emphasis is on sustainable management of parks and other natural environments for human enjoyment, environmental education and ecological diversity. The program provides students with knowledge, skills and abilities through coursework and hands-on, field-based experiences.

This Park Management minor can relate to a variety of public agencies and non-profit organizations such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, state and local park agencies and the Nature Conservancy, as well as private outfitters, guiding services, residential camps, Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership School.

Contact Information

• Mary Parr | mparr@kent.edu | 330-672-0217
• Speak with an Advisor

Program Delivery

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

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Students declared in the Recreation, Park and Tourism Management major may not declare the Park Management minor.

To declare this minor, students must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and earned a minimum 2.250 overall Kent State GPA. 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

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Identify the public, private and non-profit providers of park and outdoor recreation employment opportunities at the local, state and national level.
2. Demonstrate understanding of common park management techniques and processes and recognize their application in a diversity of real-world park settings, locally, nationally and globally.
3. Define environmental education and develop learning outcomes appropriate for environmental education.
4. Create and plan fun, science-based environmental education programs.
5. Define interpretation as understood by the National Association for Interpretation.
6. Develop interpretation materials and programs suitable for parks, protected areas, museums and other settings where interpretation occurs.