Overview

At California State University, Fresno, students in the Recreation Administration major complete a core of courses. These courses are designed to assist students in acquiring competencies related to the principles of recreation, leadership, group dynamics, and leisure behavior. Courses also cover legal and financial aspects of recreation service, advanced program planning, organization and administration of leisure services, evaluation, and professionalism.

Students develop specific skills in the areas of communication, human behavior, youth services, entrepreneurism, and adventure-based recreation and tourism, finance, management, marketing, funding, resources, program planning and supervision, and facility management.

Under the guidance of a practitioner, students in recreation administration are encouraged to acquire 1,000 hours of paid or voluntary hands-on experience in a variety of recreation, clinical, or leisure services agencies. In addition, they complete full-time internships with commercial recreation and tourism enterprises, public recreation agencies, nonprofit organizations, park-oriented agencies, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and other service organizations.

Students may apply for an out-of-state internship if they achieve a major GPA of 3.3 and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Additional requirements must also be met.

What You Can Learn

• Fundamental skills and knowledge for traveling outdoors by map and compass, and by knowledge of natural features

• Leisure as related to the individual and society

• A knowledge of the conference, convention, and meeting industry, inclusive of the design, budgeting, and programming principles used within the industry

• The development of budgets and data analysis methods for park, recreation, and tourism agencies through the use of a variety of computer programs