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
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Lower-Division Major Required Courses | ||
Complete all of the following courses: | ||
PTRM 141Y | National Parks and American Culture | 3 |
PTRM 150 | First Year Seminar in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management | 1 |
PTRM 210S | Nature Tourism & Commercial Recreation | 3 |
PTRM 217S | Parks & Outdoor Recreation Management | 3 |
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 111A | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
or THTR 120A | Introduction to Acting I | |
ECNS 201S | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
M 115 | Probability and Linear Mathematics | 3 |
PSCI 210S | Intro to American Government | 3 |
PSYX 100S | Intro to Psychology | 3 |
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 447 | Ecosystem Ecology | 3 |
or FORS 330 | Forest Ecology | |
or NRSM 462 | Rangeland Ecology | |
NRSM 422 | Natural Resources Policy | 3 |
or WILD 410 | Wildlife Policy | |
PTRM 300 | Recreation Behavior | 3 |
PTRM 310 | Natural Resource Interpretation and Communication | 3 |
PTRM 380 | Recreation Administration & Leadership | 3 |
PTRM 482 | Wilderness & Protected Area Management | 3 |
or PTRM 451 | Tourism & Sustainability | |
PTRM 484 | Capstone in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management | 4 |
PTRM 485 | Recreation Planning | 3 |
PTRM 498 | Internship | 3 |
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 Hours | 71-73 |
Four Year Plan
Freshman | ||
---|---|---|
Autumn | Hours | |
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 | |
Hours | 16-18 | |
Spring | ||
PTRM 141Y | National Parks and American Culture | 3 |
PTRM 217S | Parks & Outdoor Recreation Management | 3 |
COMX 111A or THTR 120A |
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 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Sophomore | ||
Autumn | ||
FORS 201 or STAT 216 |
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 | |
Hours | 15-17 | |
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 | |
Hours | 15 | |
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 | |
Hours | 15 | |
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 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Senior | ||
Autumn | ||
PTRM 482 or PTRM 451 |
Wilderness & Protected Area Management or Tourism & Sustainability |
3 |
PTRM 498 | Internship | 3 |
PTRM 494 | Seminar | 4 |
Upper Division Course/Electives | 6 | |
Hours | 16 | |
Spring | ||
PTRM 485 | Recreation Planning | 3 |
NRSM 422 or WILD 410 |
Natural Resources Policy or Wildlife Policy |
3 |
Upper Division Course/Electives | 9 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Total Hours | 122-126 |
Updated Autumn 2025
- 1
FORS 250, COMX 220S, NRSM 379, or PSCI 360