WCU's Parks and Recreation Management (PRM) Program prepares students for professions
in the leisure service, recreation, outdoor, and tourism industries, as well as with
land agencies such as the National Parks and U.S. Forest Service. Students in the
program earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Parks and Recreation Management.
A PRM minor is also available.
Admission to the PRM Program
To be accepted into the PRM Program, students must achieve and maintain a 2.5 GPA
overall and complete PRM 250: Foundations of PRM. As a major in the PRM program, students
will work with a PRM faculty advisor to outline courses, certifications, and professional
development options to help them achieve their academic and career goals.
Landmark Learning has a special relationship with Western Carolina University to provide nationally
recognized certifications to Western Carolina University students for course credit.
National certification enhances work opportunities in the field of Outdoor Education
and Recreation post graduation. Click here to download the PRM and Landmark Learning
Course Equivalency Guide.
The minor in parks and recreation management requires 18 hours consisting of two core
courses and any 12 hours of electives approved by your PRM advisor. The two core courses
are PRM 250 and PRM 270.
As a PRM major, you will earn certifications, complete meaningful projects, present
research, obtain experiences, and participate in conferences. It is important to save
and document each of these items to be used as you begin your career search. In PRM
260: Professional Planning in PRM, students will begin the process of developing their
professional portfolio utilizing the online platform, Linked In. The Linked In profile
and digital portfolio is updated again in PRM 370: Capstone Internship Orientation
as students search and secure their capstone internship. The final opportunity to
update the portfolio and Linked In profile will be in PRM 483/484 Capstone Internship.
The portfolio may contain the following items depending upon your focus area in PRM:
Resume (professional)
Outdoor Resume (skills, expeditions, experiences)
Program proposal
Trip planning documents
Research prospectus
Business plan
Risk management plan and/or analysis
Leadership self-analysis
Activity Log/Journal
Lesson plan or activity proposal
Tent Peg article
Newspaper articles, blog posts, press releases
Service learning or volunteer work
Photographs of interpretive work or programs
Certifications related to your career path
Awards
The field of parks and recreation offers graduates a wide range of career options in
community recreation, outdoor leadership and instruction, commercial and resort recreation,
and recreation resource management.
We encourage you to gain experience in your chosen area through coursework, internships, and
summer employment. You’ll gain leadership and participatory experience through volunteer
work at Base Camp Cullowhee, where a range of activities are planned for the on- and off-campus community.
The PRM program provides numerous opportunities to seek additional training and certification
in areas including wilderness medicine, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, outdoor leadership
and more. Landmark Learning is in a special relationship with Western Carolina University to provide nationally
recognized certifications to Western Carolina University students for course credit.
National certification enhances work opportunities in the field of Outdoor Education
and Recreation post-graduation.
Excellent internship opportunities, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
the Blue Ridge Parkway, Navitat, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Project SOAR, and several
camps, surround the WCU campus. The strongest industry in the region is tourism, so
our students enjoy internships at attractions and resorts in Western North Carolina
and in the coastal areas of both North and South Carolina at places like Wilmington,
Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. Community parks and recreation agencies
also abound in the region.
Our mission is to advance knowledge, educate professionals, engage communities, and
affect positive social and environmental change using innovative, experiential, and
equitable practices. PRM graduates are prepared to design, implement, and evaluate
components of the leisure service industry.
PRM Vision
We envision a global community where individuals and groups can equitably and responsibly
access spaces for recreation, pursue healthy active lifestyles, and promote social
and environmental justice.
PRM Values
Diversity & Social Justice Lifelong learning Professionalism Environmental Stewardship Healthy active lifestyles Compassion Integrity Adventure Experiential Learning Community Innovation Engagement
PRM Faculty
Left to right: Debby Singleton, Callie Schultz, Andrew Bobilya, Jeremy Schultz, Rebekah
Campbell
The WCU Parks & Recreation Management Program is currently pursuing accreditation
by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions
(COAPRT).
Important Information Regarding Degree Mills:
Please watch this important video regarding degree and accreditation mills. According to CHEA, "Degree mills and accreditation
mills mislead and harm. In the United States, degrees and certificates from mills
may not be acknowledged by other institutions when students seek to transfer or go
to graduate school. Employers may not acknowledge degrees and certificates from degree
mills when providing tuition assistance for continuing education. “Accreditation”
from an accreditation mill can mislead students and the public about the quality of
an institution. In the presence of degree mills and accreditation mills, students
may spend a good deal of money and receive neither an education nor a usable credential."
Read more on CHEA's website: https://www.chea.org/important-questions-about-degree-mills.
2020 Self-Study Report
Current faculty CVs are linked in individual faculty webpages (above) and in self-study
document.
