Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science in Recreation
Nature of the Program
We are passionate about the power of outdoors experiences to transform peoples’ lives—and communities—for the better. We love connecting people to nature. If you love the outdoors and working with people, the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources major is a great choice. The RPTR major prepares students for careers providing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities for a wide range of public, commercial, and non-profit agencies.
Tailor your education to your career goals with one of three Areas of Emphasis:
- Adventure Recreation
- Park and Outdoor Recreation
- Sustainable Tourism
The professional preparation program in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources is grounded in the RPTR core courses and capped with a required professional internship program, usually during the summer following the student's junior year. Many of our graduates go on to work in leadership positions with city, county, regional, state and federal parks and recreation and conservation agencies including the National Park Service, US National Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, etc. Other graduates find leadership opportunities within the business sector—with resorts, outfitters, and adventure education programs. And still others pursue rewarding careers in the diverse non-profit sector, working for youth-serving agencies like the Boy or Girl Scouts, conservation agencies like the Nature Conservancy, or watershed associations like the Friends of Cheat.
RPTR majors are encouraged to become active in professional societies and associations such as the student-led Professional Recreation and Park Society, Society of American Foresters, and National Recreation and Park Association, and they are encouraged to earn professional certification in areas such as outdoor leadership and Wilderness first responder.
Visit the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources major page for more information. Come visit our program office in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, 325 Percival Hall, P.O. Box 6125, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125.
Admissions
- First-Time Freshman are admitted directly into the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources major.
- Students transferring from another major within WVU are directly admitted to the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources major if they are in good academic standing (2.0 or higher GPA).
- Students transferring from another institution are directly admitted to the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources major if they are in good academic standing (2.0 or higher GPA).
Admission Requirements 2024-2025
The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
Major Code: 0781
Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Foundations | ||
F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
Total Hours | 31-37 |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
University Requirements | 25 | |
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources Program Requirements | 53 | |
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources Major Requirements | 42 | |
Total Hours | 120 |
University Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
Outstanding GEF Requirements 1 and 6 | 9 | |
ANRD 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
General Electives | 15 | |
Total Hours | 25 |
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources Program Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications (or higher; GEF 3) | 3 |
STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference (GEF 8) | 3 |
Select one of the following (GEF 2): | 4 | |
General Biology 1 and General Biology 1 Laboratory | ||
General Biology 2 and General Biology 2 Laboratory | ||
Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory | ||
Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 4 | |
Environmental Biology and Environmental Biology Laboratory | ||
Planet Earth and Planet Earth Laboratory | ||
Survey of Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
FNRS 100 | Forest Resources in United States History (GEF 5) | 3 |
FNRS 140 | West Virginia's Natural Resources (GEF 8) | 3 |
FNRS 438 | Human Dimensions Natural Resource Management | 3 |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Introduction to Computing in Natural Resources and Introduction to Computing in Natural Resources Laboratory | ||
Intro to Computer Applications | ||
PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
WMAN 150 | Principles of Conservation Ecology (GEF 7) | 3 |
ACCT 201 | Principles of Accounting 1 | 3 |
or ARE 110 | Agribusiness Accounting | |
AGEE 421 | Agricultural and Natural Resource Communications | 3 |
HTOR 376 | Hospitality & Tourism Leadership | 3 |
HTOR 472 | Hotel Operations Management | 3 |
HTOR 480 | Event Planning Practicum | 3 |
RESM 440 & 440L | Foundations of Applied Geographic Information Systems and Foundations of Applied Geographic Information Systems Laboratory | 3 |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Fundamentals of Public Communication | ||
Effective Public Speaking | ||
Total Hours | 53 |
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
RPTR 142 | Introduction to Recreation, Parks and Tourism * | 3 |
RPTR 145 | Recreation Services for Special Populations | 3 |
RPTR 242 | Environmental and Cultural Interpretation * † | 3 |
RPTR 335 | Management in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Organizations * | 3 |
RPTR 339 | Sustainable Tourism Management * | 3 |
RPTR 365 | Planning and Design in Recreation, Parks and Tourism | 3 |
RPTR 433 | Recreation Resource Management | 3 |
RPTR 450 | Social Research Methods in Natural Resource Management | 3 |
RPTR 491 | Professional Field Experience | 6 |
Area of Emphasis | 12 | |
Adventure Recreation | ||
Park and Outdoor Recreation | ||
Sustainable Tourism | ||
Total Hours | 42 |
- *
At the end of the junior year, after completing the above required RPTR courses (noted with the *), students must complete an approved 400-hour internship of not less than eight weeks with a recreation, parks, or tourism agency. Most recreation internships occur during the summer months.
- †
AGEE 421 and RPTR 242 fulfill the Writing and Communication Skills requirement.
Suggested Plan of Study
First Year | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | ||
Select one of the following (GEF 2): | 4 | RPTR 242 | 3 | ||
WMAN 150 (GEF 7) | 3 | ||||
Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 4 | ||||
FNRS 140 (GEF 8) | 3 | ||||
MATH 124 (or higher: GEF 3) | 3 | ||||
RPTR 142 | 3 | Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
ANRD 191 | 1 | ||||
17 | 16 | ||||
Second Year | |||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | FNRS 240 & 240L | 3 | ||
STAT 211 (GEF 8) | 3 | HTOR 376 | 3 | ||
FNRS 100 (GEF 5) | 3 | MDS 270 or COMM 104 | 3 | ||
RPTR 335 | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 | ||
RPTR 339 | 3 | RPTR Emphasis Course | 3 | ||
15 | 15 | ||||
Third Year | |||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
RPTR 365 | 3 | HTOR 472 | 3 | RPTR 491 | 6 |
RPTR 433 | 3 | RPTR 145 | 3 | ||
RESM 440 & 440L | 3 | RPTR 450 | 3 | ||
RPTR Emphasis Course | 3 | RPTR Emphasis Course | 3 | ||
General Elective | 3 | ||||
15 | 12 | 6 | |||
Fourth Year | |||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
AGEE 421 | 3 | HTOR 480 | 3 | ||
FNRS 438 | 3 | RPTR Emphasis Elective | 3 | ||
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
12 | 12 | ||||
Total credit hours: 120 |
Areas of Emphasis
Adventure Recreation Area of Emphasis Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
RPTR 251 | Leadership in Experiential Education | 3 |
RPTR 150 | Backcountry Living Skills | 3 |
RPTR 325 | Challenge Course Facilitation | 3 |
or RPTR 326S | Canopy Tour Facilitation | |
RPTR 200-400 Level Elective | 3 | |
(Additional Electives are chosen after consultation with your advisor.) | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Park and Outdoor Recreation Area of Emphasis Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
RPTR 251 | Leadership in Experiential Education | 3 |
RPTR 365 | Planning and Design in Recreation, Parks and Tourism | 3 |
FNRS 423 | Urban Forest Management | 3 |
RPTR 200-400 Level Electives | 3 | |
(Additional Electives are chosen after consultation with your advisor.) | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Sustainable Tourism Area of Emphasis Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ARE 411 | Rural Economic Development | 3 |
or GEOG 209 | Global Justice | |
BCOR 350 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
RPTR 472 | Tourism System and Destination Management | 3 |
RPTR 200-400 Level Elective | 3 | |
(Additional Electives are chosen after consultation with your advisor.) | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Major Learning Outcomes
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism
Students graduating from the RPTR program shall be able to:
- demonstrate the following entry-level knowledge: a) the nature and scope of the relevant park, recreation, tourism or related professions and their associated industries; b) techniques and processes used by professionals and workers in these industries; and c) the foundation of the profession in history, science and philosophy;
- design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity;
- apply entry-level knowledge about operations and strategic management/administration in parks, recreation, tourism and/or related organizations; and
- demonstrate the potential to succeed as professionals at supervisory or higher levels in park, recreation, tourism, or related organizations.