RECREATION, PARK & TOURISM MANAGEMENT
The mission of the Recreation, Park and Tourism Management program is to prepare students to be leaders in a variety of leisure service settings, with the purpose of enhancing quality of life among individuals and communities, both locally and globally. Graduates of the program find work opportunities at resorts, recreation centers, youth programs, parks and recreation departments, state and national parks, and a wide variety of other fields.
Students and alumni discuss their experience in the RPTM program and the benefits of the field.
Graduates of this program understand the wide array of benefits produced by recreation, park and tourism and they work professionally to provide these benefits at local, national and global levels. Furthermore, they work to assure that all people have access to these benefits regardless of ability or socio-economic status. Professional opportunities are available in, but not limited to:
- resorts and theme parks, visitor and convention bureaus,
- local park and recreation departments, state parks, national parks and other protected natural areas,
- campus recreation and wellness centers, urban recreation centers, youth development such as YMCA and YWCA,
- therapeutic recreation, inclusive recreation, and
- corporate wellness programs, camps and outdoor leadership schools.
View information on the Disability Studies and Community Inclusion Minor
- In the United States, travel and tourism generates nearly $3 trillion and employs approximately 15 million works annually.
- In Ohio, tourists spend over $55 billion dollars each year.
- In Ohio, nearly half a million jobs are sustained by tourism.
- Individuals with disabilities are the largest minority group in the U.S. and serving their recreation needs is an important role of recreation, parks, & tourism professionals
- According to The Partnership for a Healthier America, the parks and recreation industry is instrumental in reducing childhood obesity.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park is less than 10 miles from Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ State University.
- The National Park Service employs approximately 20,000 people.
- Across the country, over 160,000 people are employed full-time by city park and recreation departments.
Discover more about the Recreation, Park & Tourism Management industry!
- Explore over 30 video interviews featuring a diverse cast of park and recreation professionals in the YouTube series Parks and Recreation Professional Interview Series.