BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN Recreation Experience Management

Wellness & Movement Sciences
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About

The Recreation Experience Management (REM) degree prepares you for careers in the recreation and experience industries. You’ll learn essential management skills in the multi-billion dollar recreation industry like tourism, outdoor recreation, natural resources, experiential training and sports management.

The curriculum focuses on providing enjoyable human experiences through recreation, tourism, outdoor activities, and more. You’ll gain practical knowledge and skills through experiential learning opportunities.

Choose from four concentrations and consider minors or certificates to enhance your expertise.

Contact our program director, Jeremy Jostad, PhD at jjostad@ewu.edu or 509.359.7097

Concentrations Curriculum & Requirements

Suggested Schedule

Concentrations

Recreation & Tourism Management

If you love working with people in a fun and energetic recreation environment, this degree option is for you. By 2030, the recreation, leisure, sport, travel, and tourism industry will be worth $10 trillion worldwide. Careers in this field are diverse and exciting, offering great growth opportunities.
 
You’ll learn how to organize, lead, and manage recreation activities in public, private, and non-profit settings. Specialized instruction in aquatics, sports management, tourism foundations, and commercial recreation is provided. 

Experiential Training and Development

Do you like leadership and teaching? The Experiential Training and Development (ETD) concentration expands the REM degree with classes in experiential and adult learning. You’ll gain valuable experience that improves how you work alone, as part of a team and as part of your workplace.
 
ETD professionals are practitioners trained to transform workplaces. You’ll gain leadership skills to succeed and make a difference in your career and life.

 

 

Outdoor Recreation Leadership

If you love being active outside then the Outdoor Recreation Leadership concentration is for you. Field experiences outside the classroom are a regular part of the program, preparing you with technical and leadership skills.

You’ll learn risk management and gain experience leading diverse groups of people. This program offers certifications like Wilderness First Aid, Leave No Trace Trainer and Swiftwater Rescue. Watch the video!

Natural Resource Recreation

The Natural Resource Recreation concentration overlaps recreation management, biology, geoscience, and criminal justice courses to prepare you to manage and run recreation on public lands.

You’ll become familiar with the variety of public agencies that provide natural resource recreation at the local, state, and federal levels. Learn the processes, techniques, and skills needed to manage these resources and the people who use them.

Careers in Recreation Experience Management

Graduates with a degree in Recreation Experience Management are prepared for a variety of career opportunities.

Municipal Parks and Recreation

Resort and Tourism Companies

Sport Management Companies

Health/Wellness and Rehabilitative Medicine Centers

Federal and State Land Management Agencies

Outdoor Adventure Programs

and more!

Municipal Parks and Recreation
University/College Recreation Programs
Military Recreation Programs
Guide and Outfitting Companies
Organizational Training and Development Companies
Teambuilding and Leadership Development Programs
Challenge/Ropes Courses and Zip Line Tours
Event and Convention Centers
Correctional Recreation Facilities
Food and Beverage Companies (Leisure & Hospitality)
Recreation, Sport, and Natural Resource Nonprofit Organizations

If you love leadership and being active, this is the degree for you.

Curriculum & Requirements

Recreation Experience Management Major, Bachelor of Science (BS)

The nationally accredited Bachelor of Science in Recreation Experience Management trains recreation professionals for positions with community and college recreation, corporate training and management, resort and tourism companies, youth and adventure programs, outfitting companies, sport management companies, event and convention centers, health/wellness and rehabilitative medicine, federal and state land management agencies, corrections, military recreation, and much more.  Students who complete this degree are eligible to sit for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) exams.

The degree includes four concentrations:

  • Recreation and Tourism Management
  • Outdoor Recreation Leadership
  • Natural Resource Recreation
  • Experiential Training and Development

The curriculum is designed to aid students in developing a philosophical and practical knowledge of the recreation experience industry.  Students are exposed to skill sets and competencies that are relevant to a management career in recreation through the means of a variety of experiential learning opportunities.  Students may choose from a comprehensive curriculum in one of the major concentrations listed above, in addition to minors in Experiential Training and Development and Sport Management.

Required Core
RCLS 201FOUNDATIONS OF THE RECREATION EXPERIENCE INDUSTRY4
RCLS 220LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT3
RCLS 240OVERVIEW OF THERAPEUTIC RECREATION SERVICES4
RCLS 270DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE2
RCLS 313PUBLIC LANDS AND OUTDOOR RECREATION4
RCLS 360FACILITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN4
RCLS 385EVENT PLANNING AND EXPERIENCE DESIGN4
RCLS 400LIABILITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT4
RCLS 425EVALUATION AND RESEARCH METHODS IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT4
RCLS 435PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT2
RCLS 455RESORT AND COMMERCIAL RECREATION MANAGEMENT3
RCLS 470ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT4
RCLS 480FINANCIAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE4
RCLS 495RECREATIONAL MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP12
Choose one of the following concentrations12-22
Recreation and Tourism Management
PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING
STANDARD FIRST AID AND SAFETY
YOUTH SPORTS MANAGEMENT
FOUNDATIONS OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Optional Additional Courses
FIELD PRACTICUM
SEMINAR IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Outdoor Recreation Leadership
OUTDOOR LIVING SKILLS
WILDERNESS AND REMOTE FIRST AID
ESSENTIALS OF SNOW-BASED TRAVEL
WHITEWATER RAFTING GUIDE TECHNIQUES
OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP
EXPEDITION PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP
Natural Resource Recreation
FIELD BOTANY
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS I: SPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WILDERNESS AND REMOTE FIRST AID
OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP
Electives-choose one of the following courses
WILDLAND FIRE ECOLOGY
FUNDAMENTALS OF SOIL SCIENCE
INTRODUCTION TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Experiential Training and Development
STANDARD FIRST AID AND SAFETY
WILDERNESS AND REMOTE FIRST AID
FACILITATION AND GROUP DYNAMICS IN RECREATION MANAGEMENT
PRACTITIONER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP
Electives-choose one of the following courses
COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIZATION THEORY AND BEHAVIOR
SOCIAL CHANGE
Capstone
RCLS 490SENIOR CAPSTONE IN RECREATION4
Total Credits74-84

Catalog Listing

General Education

University Competencies and Proficiencies

English 
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
Placement and Clearance 
Prior Learning/Sources of Credit AP, CLEP, IB

General Education Requirements (GER)

  • Minimum Credits—180 cumulative credit hours 
    • 60 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
    • 45 credits in residence (attendance) at Eastern, with at least 15 upper-division credits in major in residence at Eastern
  • Minimum Cumulative GPA ≥2.0

Breadth Area Core Requirements (BACR)

Humanities and Arts 
Natural Sciences 
Social Sciences

University Graduation Requirements (UGR)

Diversity Course List
Foreign Language (for Bachelor of Arts)
Global Studies Course List
Minor or Certificate
Senior Capstone Course List

Application for Graduation (use EagleNET) must be made at least two terms in advance of the term you expect to graduate (undergraduate and post-baccalaureate).

Use the Catalog Archives to determine two important catalog years.

Degree Works calculates based on these two catalog years.

  1. The catalog in effect at the student's first term of current matriculation is used to determine BACR (Breadth Area Credit Requirements) and UGR (Undergraduate Graduation Requirements).
  2. The catalog in effect at the time the student declares a major or minor is used to determine the program requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully earn a BS in Recreation Experience Management from EWU should be able to do the following:

REM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Accredited Core Outcomes:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the basic functions and be able to apply skills in the areas of administration; budgeting; evaluation and assessment; promotions and marketing; employee recruitment, training, and supervision; risk management; customer service; and small business enterprise.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of organizational leadership, and employee and customer motivation.
  • Demonstrate the ability to perform essential functions in the areas of programming; activity analysis, implementation, and evaluation; recreation leadership and facilitation; and facilities management.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of commercial enterprise and entrepreneurship as they apply to the recreation industry.
  • Demonstrate the ability to articulate a land management and stewardship philosophy.

REM CONCENTRATION OUTCOMES:

Recreation and Tourism Management

  • Demonstrate the ability to perform essential programming functions in resort and commercial recreation settings.
  • Demonstrate the ability to perform essential functions in the areas of aquatics and sport management.

Outdoor Recreation Leadership

  • Demonstrate proficiency in the technical skills necessary to lead outdoor recreation experiences by completing an assessment and obtaining certifications in the technical skills.
  • Demonstrate how to lead outdoor recreation experiences for multiple populations by leading their peers and others in outdoor recreation activities.

Natural Resource Recreation

  • Demonstrate proficiency in the use of GIS in public land management contexts.
  • Demonstrate how to deliver natural resource recreation opportunities for public agencies while conserving the natural resource.

Experiential Training and Development

  • Develop immersive learning programs that focus on adult learning, experiential learning, and organizational development.
  • Custom design experiences that drive transformation in individuals, groups and organizations utilizing proven leadership assessments.

COAPRT

1401 Marvin Rd NE
STE 307, #172
Lacey, WA 98516
360.205.2096
COAPRT@accreditationcouncil.org

Accreditation

The EWU RCLS Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT). Evidence of continued compliance with COAPRT requirements can be found on the RCLS accreditation website.

2023 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report: Therapeutic Recreation
2021 Annual Report: Therapeutic Recreation

Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions