Undergraduate Majors and Minors

Learn to design, manage and market operations in the recreation, sport and tourism industry. 

The Bachelor of Science curriculum in Recreation, Sport and Tourism (RST) prepares students to design, manage, and market recreation, sport and tourism enterprises. It provides a firm foundation for careers in the industry or for subsequent graduate study. A broad general education is complemented by a core of professional courses.

You will: 

• Learn from internationally renowned faculty and participate in a variety of career-focused seminars, trips, clubs and hands-on learning that enrich your experience. Then utilize a one-semester or summer internship to gain valuable real-world experience that will propel you into your chosen industry. 
• Gain a foundation that integrates knowledge, skills and practice with key concepts and theories. You’ll then choose one or more specializations in recreation, sport and/or tourism to prepare yourself to become a leader in the field.  

Requirements for the RST Major  

The RST major requires 128 credit hours for graduation. It consists of five components:  

• General education requirements [36 hours],  
• Core requirements [39 hours],  
• Concentration requirements [9 hours],  
• Electives [32 hours], and an  
• Internship [12 hours]. 

General Education requirements (Gen Eds) are courses taken by all students campuswide. Some RST courses count as general education requirements.       

Core courses enable students to understand the magnitude, characteristics and impacts of the recreation, sport and tourism industry. You also gain knowledge in management, marketing, finance and strategy to apply within recreation, sport and tourism professions.       

Concentration requirements enable students to develop advanced specialized knowledge about the management in their preferred industry sector.       

Electives give students the capacity to tailor their education by exploring topics of interest, and by broadening and deepening their skills and understandings.       

The internship is a capstone experience where students spend a semester applying all that they have learned. They work with a recreation, sport or tourism organization that aligns with their professional interests and goals to gain more experience and to hone their knowledge, skills and abilities. This formal, guided learning experience is supervised simultaneously by the agency supervisor and university internship coordinator. Students may take an additional 6 credits (for a total of 18 credits) during the semester of their internship. If doing their internship in the summer, the maximum credit hours is 12.

RST Concentrations 

Undergraduate Degree Courses 

For more information about degree requirements, contact your academic advisor or refer to the university catalog. 

Interested in the RST minor? 

The RST minor is an excellent complement to almost any major. Learn more about minoring in RST.  

Experiential Learning 

• RST 180: “Hall of Fame Tour” (3 Hours) 
• RST 182: Sapora Symposium (1 Hour) 
• RST 185: Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (3 Hours) 
• RST 199 IC: Inclusive Champions for Change in Sport (3 Hours) 
• RST 199 DL: Discovering London (3 Hours) 
• RST 199 CR: RST Economics in Croatia (3 Hours) 
• RST 199 OR: Outdoor Rec. Consortium (3 Hours) 
• RST 199 SZ1: Sustainability & Rural Tourism in China (3 Hours) 
• RST 290: Experiencing Agritourism (3 Hours) 

Degree Requirements Summary 

• General Education Hours: 36 
• Core Courses Hours: 39 
• Concentration Requirements Hours: 9 
• RST Electives Hours: 12 
• Free Electives Hours: 20 
• Internship Hours: 12 

Total Hours: 128