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University of Montana Catalog 2025-2026

Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management B.S.

The B.S. in Parks, Tourism & Recreation Management degree is designed to prepare students for professional positions developing and managing nature-based recreation experiences and park resources for public land management agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the nature-based tourism industry. Students pursuing this degree must choose between an concentration in Recreation Resources Management or Nature-Based Tourism. The Recreation Resources Management concentration provides the educational background necessary for evaluating and managing wild lands to protect their recreational, heritage, and ecological values. The Nature-Based Tourism concentration is designed to combine an understanding of social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic contexts surrounding tourism in a natural resource setting. All students learn the processes and conceptual skills needed to determine alternative management strategies, make management decisions, and carry out management programs. Included are courses leading to an understanding of the basic ecological characteristics of recreational lands. Students also take courses dealing with human behavior and management. Emphasis is placed on presenting problems that would be encountered while managing national parks and forests, state and regional parks, wilderness areas, and other recreation resources of international and national significance.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information. 

Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page

Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.

Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.

Bachelor of Science - Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Major Required Courses
Complete all of the following courses:
PTRM 141YNational Parks and American Culture3
PTRM 150First Year Seminar in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management1
PTRM 210SNature Tourism & Commercial Recreation3
PTRM 217SParks & Outdoor Recreation Management3
Complete one of the following courses with a lab:3-4
Earth Systems Science
and Earth Systems Science Lab
Intro to Physical Geography: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation
and Intro to Physical Geography Laboratory: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation
Soils and Water
and Ecology, Physics and Taxonomy of Soils
Complete one of the following courses: 3
Anthropology & the Human Experience
Geography of World Regions
Introduction to Native American Studies
Lower-Division Outside Major Required Courses
Complete all of the following courses:
COMX 111AIntroduction to Public Speaking3
or THTR 120A Introduction to Acting I
ECNS 201SPrinciples of Microeconomics3
M 115Probability and Linear Mathematics3
PSCI 210SIntro to American Government3
PSYX 100SIntro to Psychology3
or SOCI 101S Introduction to Sociology
or GPHY 121S Human Geography
Complete one of the following courses: 3
Principles of Biological Diversity
Introductory Ecology
Introduction to Botany
Complete one of the following courses: 3-4
Introduction to Statistics
Forest Biometrics
Upper-Division Major Required Courses
Complete all of the following courses:
BIOE 447Ecosystem Ecology3
or FORS 330 Forest Ecology
or NRSM 462 Rangeland Ecology
NRSM 422Natural Resources Policy3
or WILD 410 Wildlife Policy
PTRM 300Recreation Behavior3
PTRM 310Natural Resource Interpretation and Communication3
PTRM 380Recreation Administration & Leadership3
PTRM 482Wilderness & Protected Area Management3
or PTRM 451 Tourism & Sustainability
PTRM 484Capstone in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management4
PTRM 485Recreation Planning3
PTRM 498Internship3
Skills Courses
Complete 3 credits from the following courses: 3
Introduction to Organizational Communication
Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions
Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt
Experimental Offering: Public Administration
Business Course Requirement
Complete one of the following courses: 3
Introduction to Business
Entertainment and Sports Event Management
Sustainable Business Practices
Total Hours71-73

Four Year Plan

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
AutumnHours
WRIT 101 College Writing I 3-4
M 115 Probability and Linear Mathematics 3-4
PTRM 150 First Year Seminar in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management 1
PTRM 210S Nature Tourism & Commercial Recreation 3
PSYX 100S
Intro to Psychology
or Introduction to Sociology
or Human Geography
3
General Education Requirement/Elective 3
 Hours16-18
Spring
PTRM 141Y National Parks and American Culture 3
PTRM 217S Parks & Outdoor Recreation Management 3
COMX 111A
Introduction to Public Speaking
or Introduction to Acting I
3
BIOB 170N
Principles of Biological Diversity
or Introductory Ecology
or Introduction to Botany
3
General Education Requirement/Elective 3
 Hours15
Sophomore
Autumn
FORS 201
Forest Biometrics
or Introduction to Statistics
3-4
NRSM 211N
NRSM 212N
Soils and Water
or Intro to Physical Geography: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation and Intro to Physical Geography Laboratory: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation Lab
or Earth Systems Science and Earth Systems Science Lab
3-4
PSCI 210S Intro to American Government 3
General Education Requirement/Elective 6
 Hours15-17
Spring
ECNS 201S Principles of Microeconomics 3
GPHY 141S
Geography of World Regions
or Anthropology & the Human Experience
or Introduction to Native American Studies
3
Skills Course 1 3
General Education Requirement/Elective 6
 Hours15
Junior
Autumn
FORS 330
Forest Ecology
or Rangeland Ecology
or Ecosystem Ecology
3
PTRM 310 Natural Resource Interpretation and Communication 3
Upper Division Course/Electives 9
 Hours15
Spring
PTRM 300 Recreation Behavior 3
PTRM 380 Recreation Administration & Leadership 3
BGEN 105S
Introduction to Business
or Entertainment and Sports Event Management
or Sustainable Business Practices
3
Upper Division Course/Electives 6
 Hours15
Senior
Autumn
PTRM 482
Wilderness & Protected Area Management
or Tourism & Sustainability
3
PTRM 498 Internship 3
PTRM 494 Seminar 4
Upper Division Course/Electives 6
 Hours16
Spring
PTRM 485 Recreation Planning 3
NRSM 422
Natural Resources Policy
or Wildlife Policy
3
Upper Division Course/Electives 9
 Hours15
 Total Hours122-126

Updated Autumn 2025

1

FORS 250, COMX 220S, NRSM 379, or PSCI 360