Recreation and Tourism Management

Recreation and Tourism Management faculty are available each semester for academic advisement prior to registration. Meeting with a faculty member of your choice can take place during their regular faculty office hours or by appointment. The undergraduate and graduate advisors are Mechelle Best, Jose Gonzalez, Joong-won Lee, Nathan Martin, Erika Sung, Veda Ward, Al Wright and Jimmy Xie. Additional advising resources for students are available at the Canvas site (RTM Advisement). Please contact the department office for access information.

Upon completion of the academic advisement session, a student’s “registration hard hold” is lifted and he or she may then participate in the registration process as scheduled by the University.

Recreation and Tourism Management graduates have many career paths to pursue within the recreation, human services, tourism and hospitality industries. Included in this vast array of career opportunities are positions as travel coordinators, hotel and hospitality managers, health club and spa managers, tour guides and interpreters, tourism destination specialists, convention coordinators, cruise ship activity directors, event planners and coordinators, recreational sport and entertainment facility managers, and entrepreneurs.

Graduates also choose paths in the outdoors, municipal recreation and nonprofit sectors of the profession. These careers include positions as recreation center directors, recreation center specialists, outdoor education specialists, camp directors, nature interpreters, park rangers, aquatic specialists, campus recreational sport directors, play center facilitation/directors, and employee recreation services and sport directors.

Finally, graduates find fulfilling careers in professional settings, such as military recreation, correctional recreation, campus student unions, religious youth recreation, therapeutic recreation, fund development, community youth recreation and sport agencies.

The Department of Recreation and Tourism Management is accredited through the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) and the Association for Experiential Education (AEE).

The Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Management Association (THRMA) is a student club created by and run by students in the department. Special opportunities for leadership and professional development are created by student involvement.

Scholarships

The department offers five scholarships annually:

• Anderson Award
• Dr. Byrne C. Fernelius Scholarship
• Foley Award
• Lola Sadlo Scholarship for Creative Endeavor
• Morash Award