Tourism & Commercial Recreation

The purpose of this degree program is to provide students with a theoretical understanding of leisure behavior with an applied background in tourism management and research. More specifically, the purpose is to expose students to a variety of methods widely used in the management and marketing of travel and tourism destinations and enterprises.

The skills developed in this program are designed to provide students with marketable credentials in a variety of sectors in the tourism economy. They encompass many business sectors including but not limited to hotels, motels, resorts, private clubs, restaurants, convention and meeting planners, air travel, tour operations, cruise lines, attractions and theme parks.

SUPPORTING AREA POSSIBLE COURSES

It is expected that students will propose a supporting area of emphasis to compliment their degree plan. Supporting areas may be drawn from one or more academic programs outside the department. Undergraduate and graduate courses are typically drawn from, but not limited to, other programs such as marketing, business administration, sports administration, resource economics, public relations, communication arts, architecture and planning. The list of supporting area courses are developed by the student under the advisement of their graduate committee.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The hospitality and tourism industry is a highly segmented and specialized industry. Job placement for students emphasizing travel and tourism has generally been high. Since 1990, graduates of the program have assumed roles in special events management for a vacation destination, visitor services for a major convention and visitors bureau, membership sales and services for a convention and visitors bureau, and district management for a major rental car agency.