Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration San Francisco State University

Overview

The Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration BSc program offered at San Francisco State University has a distinguished faculty with extensive experience in teaching, research, and service, to a dynamic curriculum based on comprehensive feedback from students, alumni, current trends, and an advisory board of RPT professionals, students acquire the knowledge and skills to: Engineer Experiences that Engage, Empower, and Educate.

One of the program’s most important resources for faculty and the curriculum is the diversity and vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area. The number of agencies, institutions, and leisure enterprises makes the region a hands-on classroom and living laboratory for public, private, and nonprofit recreation; local, state, and national parks; and domestic and international tourism.

The curriculum will focus on the following nine competencies, which all have assigned courses and associated program and student learning outcomes:

• Communication (professional, nonverbal, verbal)

• Foundations (philosophy, history, science)

• Information Technology (application, research, reporting)

• Leadership (ethics, intrapersonal, interpersonal)

• Management & Administration (finance, human capital, structures)

• Programming (design, implementation, evaluation)

• Profession & Industry (nature & scope, standards, trends & issues)

• Sustainability (economics, environment, equity)

• Wellness (dimensions, application, assessment)

Career paths

Every year, millions of people spend an increasing amount of time in pursuit of beneficial recreation, leisure, and touristic experiences. As the world’s leading industry, recreation and leisure/tourism spending accounts for approximately one trillion dollars per year; this equates to one-third of all consumer spending. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the overall employment in the leisure/tourism and hospitality industry will grow 19% to 44% from 2010 to 2020.

There is a continued demand for full-time, trained recreation, park, and tourism professionals to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate programs and services in the public, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors within the leisure service delivery system. Thus, the recreation profession offers diverse employment opportunities for individuals who are enthusiastic, enjoy working with people, and have acquired the necessary professional skills. Although not exhaustive, the below list provides career categories within the RPT profession.

• Campus - recreation, intramurals, wellness programs, and facilities:  Cal Recreation, SF State Mashouf Wellness Center, UCSF

• Corporate - employee recreation, social, incentive, and wellness programs: Apple, Google, Kaiser Permanente, Red Bull, Salesforce

• Events - planning and producing festivals, weddings, performances, tournaments, retreats: AT&T Park, Moscone Center, Oracle Arena

• Membership - health/social/country clubs, professional organizations, trade associations: REI, Bohemian Club, The Battery, CPRS

• Nonprofit - after-school programs, volunteer services, social entrepreneurism: YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Sierra Club, LYRIC

• Outdoor - parks, summer camps, adventure outfitters, environmental centers: CA State Parks, National Park Service, Outward Bound

• Public - every city has a community, aquatic, wellness, sport, or senior center: Oakland Recreation, SF Recreation & Park Department

• Themed Entertainment - attractions, resorts, wineries, amusement parks: Alcatraz, Disneyland, Caymus Vineyards, de Young Museum

• Therapeutic - improving quality of life using recreation: VA hospital, Giant Steps, Pomeroy Center, Environmental Travel Companions

• Travel & Tourism - cruise lines, guest services, tour operators, DMCs: Altruvistas, Backroads, Carnival Cruise Line, Peek, SF Travel