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 write an essay explaining why they want to be a PRM major. As a major
in the PRM program, students will meet with an advisor to complete a strategic plan
which will outline courses, certifications, and professional development options to
help them achieve their academic and career goals.
To become a PRM major, students are required to write an essay on why they want to
be in the program. To prepare for the essay, students should research potential careers
through online searches, the career connection bulletin board in Reid 122, reviewing
professional journals, and interviewing PRM faculty. Parks and Recreation Management
is a very diverse field, so it is important for students to research which direction
they would like to take and formulate a strategy to help them prepare.
Students will complete the PRM Essay in PRM 250 as a graded assignment. A copy of the essay directions can be found here
PRM Curriculum
Portfolio
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
CAREER OPTIONS AND PREPARATION
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.
Learn More About Career Options
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.
Internship Opportunities
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.
Learn More About Outdoor Organizations in the Region
PRM Mission Statement
The mission of the Parks and Recreation Management Program is to prepare our graduates
to promote active lifestyles, sustainability and social justice. The program strives
to maintain an intellectual and caring environment through cooperation and collaboration
in active learning. Students learn from our accomplished faculty in an environment
in which experiential education is integrated throughout the curriculum.
The program prepares professionals to design, plan, promote, and deliver the physical
and social components of the leisure service industry. This includes skills in administration,
management, research, evaluation, leadership, facilitation and instruction. Graduates
will be prepared to manage resources, facilities and programs, and to lead and instruct
for programs in commercial, public, and non-profit settings.
L-R: Jeremy Schultz, Debby Singleton, Callie Schultz, Ben Tholkes, Andrew Bobilya,
and Glenn Middleton
PRM Faculty
