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Recreation, Parks and Tourism ResourcesMajor

We’re passionate about the power of outdoor experiences to transform peoples’ lives — and communities — for the better. If you love the outdoors and working with people, RPTR is a great choice.

Overview

What is Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU like?

Description

The Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources (RPTR) major prepares you for professional careers in the parks, recreation and conservation fields.

Our graduates work in leadership positions with city, county, regional, state and federal parks and recreation and conservation agencies. Other RPTR graduates find leadership opportunities within the business sector — with resorts, outfitters and adventure education programs. Graduates also 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.

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources program highlights:

At a Glance

Next Steps

Interested in this major? Here are some suggested next steps:

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Areas of Emphasis

Tailor this major to your interests by taking courses in one of these areas:

  • Adventure Recreation
    Prepares students to join a global community of adventure and experiential educators having the shared goal enriching lives through experiential education. Graduates work for programs as diverse as Outward Bound or the National Outdoor Leadership School.
  • Park and Outdoor Recreation
    Prepares students for professional careers with city, county, regional, state and federal parks, recreation and conservation agencies like the National Park Service or Cleveland Metro Parks.
  • Sustainable Tourism
    Prepares students to work in the tourism field, especially for programs dedicated to balancing profit-making with social or environmental goals, such as supporting rural communities or protecting special places. Graduates work for a variety of ecotourism, heritage tourism and agri-tourism organizations.

Fast Facts

What makes Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU unique?

Research and Academic Opportunities

  • Participate in the National Visitor Use Monitoring project on national forests.
  • Contribute to outreach projects for several watershed associations, including the Friends of Cheat and the Friends of Deckers Creek.
  • Participate in a citizen science research project at the Summit Bechtel Reserve Boy Scout Camp in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Living-Learning Communities (LLCs)

Live, study and pursue outside-the-classroom learning in a residence hall community that shares your interests:

Transfer Articulation Agreements

To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU. Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.

Student Organizations

Connect with other students who share your academic interests as a member of:

View all of the student organizations you can join.

Professional Organizations

Network with professionals in your field as a student member of:

Careers

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Possible Careers

Wondering what you can do with a degree from WVU's Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources major? Check out these ideas from WVU Career Services and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). A median salary is the midpoint of what people typically earn—half of those surveyed earned above the median salary, and half earned below.

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Employers

Graduates from this major have gone to work at:

Courses

What are the courses like in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU?

Plan of Study

Check out a program overview, learning goals, course descriptions and suggested plan of study for WVU's Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources major.

View the Plan of Study
 

Popular Courses

FOR 438:
Human Dimensions Natural Resource Management

This class is designed to provide junior-and-senior level forestry and natural resource management majors with a repertoire of social and communication knowledge and skills such as public facilitation, public participation, social impact assessment, conflict management, and collaborative planning techniques.

RPTR 148:
Wilderness First Responder

This course provides training necessary to become certified in dealing with various aspects and levels of outdoor/ wilderness crises for forestry, recreation, or any outdoor professionals. (Grading will be pass/fail.)

RPTR 239:
Sustainable Tourism Development

This course will introduce students to the phenomenon and significance of global tourism and teach them how to apply tourism principles to support community economic development.

RPTR 242:
Environmental and Cultural Interpretation

This course is about people, communication and natural resource management. It focuses on theory and application of communication methods for natural resource settings and topics, including communication of technical information to lay publics.

RPTR 433:
Recreation Resource Management

An analysis of land management agencies and major legislation concerned with recreation resource management; review, develop, and apply recreation resource and visitor use management plans.

RPTR 485:
Professional Development Seminar

This course is a capstone preplanning course for the professional internship program. The course emphasizes professional development and career planning.

RPTR 491:
Professional Field Experience

(May be repeated up to a maximum of 18 hours.) Prearranged experiential learning program, to be planned, supervised, and evaluated for credit by faculty and field supervisors. Involves temporary placement with public or private enterprise for professional competence development.

Capstone Projects

Before graduating, all undergraduates in this major complete an academic project (or "capstone") to demonstrate their research, communication and critical thinking skills.

RPTR 491 Professional Internship is a required 400-hour field course usually taken the summer of the senior year. Students work for a professional park, recreation or conservation agency under the mentorship of a field and faculty supervisor. Recent examples of student internship experiences include:

Cost and Aid

How much does Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU cost? And how can you save?

Tuition and Fees

Estimated rates for the 2022-23 academic year. Rates are subject to change. Anyone that is not a current West Virginia resident will be charged non-resident rates. That includes international students.

West Virginia Resident
Per Credit $436
Per Semester $5,232
Fall and Spring Semesters $10,464
Non-Resident
Per Credit $1,161
Per Semester $13,932
Fall and Spring Semesters $27,864
International
Per Credit $1,161
Per Semester $14,232
Fall and Spring Semesters $28,464
Scholarship Chart

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Net Price Calculator

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Ways to Save

Here are a few ways for you to save on the cost of attending WVU in addition to university scholarships.

Extra Merit-based Scholarships

Incoming freshmen to the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design may qualify for merit-based scholarships based on GPA and SAT/ACT test score. No additional application is necessary. These scholarships are in addition to University scholarships.

See if You Qualify

Ohio Tuition Reciprocity

As the result of a special agreement, students from Ohio who are fully admitted to Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources can enroll at WVU and pay in-state tuition rates. Students must be admitted to both the University and this major.

Learn More

Transfer Articulation Agreements

To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU.

Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.

Learn How to Transfer Course Credits

Requirements

What are the requirements to apply for Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU?

To be admitted to WVU's Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources major, you must meet WVU's first-time freshman admission requirements for the 2022-23 academic year. Interested in transferring? Review the transfer admission requirements.

Related Majors and Minors

What other options does WVU have?

What minors could I consider?

Related Pathways

What majors share similar career interests with this major at WVU?

Next Steps

I like this major. What are the next steps?

Apply Now

Your first step to becoming a Mountaineer is applying for admission. Our online application makes the process as convenient as possible.

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Request Information

Want to know more about Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources at WVU? Fill out the Request Information form to receive more information about the program and life at WVU.

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