Learning Outcomes
The Parks, Recreation and Tourism program provides students 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.