Degrees, Majors, and Certificates
Park and Recreation Management
The specialization in park and recreation management focuses on enhancing the quality of people's lives by helping them participate in challenging and satisfying recreational activities in beautiful settings. Students acquire professional management skills that can be applied in a wide variety of recreation and leisure facilities and programs around the world. Quality courses with small faculty/student ratio and varied fieldwork opportunities guarantee our students an outstanding educational experience.
Special Opportunities
Direct experience in the area of parks and recreation is an important component of the undergraduate option. During the course of their studies, students have the opportunity to work and train in a variety of professional recreation management settings. Through class practica, projects, internship opportunities, and field experiences, students learn leadership, management, programming, marketing and evaluation, legal aspects of park and recreation management, and communication skills.
Careers
Graduates with this degree are prepared for a range of career positions, including the following:
- Recreation Leader—is responsible for teaching, planning, organizing, and supervising recreation programs in a variety of settings.
- Youth Recreation Services Specialist—coordinates and directs a major component of a youth services program. Develops and disseminates information about programs and services and publicizes them through all forms of media. Plans, organizes, and conducts outreach, intake, enrollment, and service delivery systems.
- Special Events Programmer—is responsible for planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating a variety of special events for a facility or recreation organization.
- Recreation Supervisor—is responsible for recreation programs and supervision of personnel. Coordinates and directs the work of recreation programmers, schedules activities, and serves as a liaison between the administrator and leaders in the field.
- Park Ranger—monitors facility use through interpretation, providing information and enforcing laws and regulations in local, state, and national parks. May serve as a specialist in certain areas of park protection, safety, and management.
- Conservation Officer—works on projects such as trail construction, reconstruction and maintenance, fisheries habitat enhancement, and site restoration and re-vegetation, as well as specialized tasks such as archaeology or historic structures restoration.
Degree Program
Bachelor of Science in Recreation
For more information, contact:
Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies
School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
HPER 133
1025 E. Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7109
Phone: (812) 855-4711
E-mail:
