B.S. in Recreation & Tourism Management
with Emphasis in Outdoor Resource Management
Lower Division Requirements
1. Lower Division Course Work (26 units)
Preparation for the Major (26 Units)
Required:- RTM 101 – Introduction to Recreation and Tourism Management (3)
- RTM 107 – Recreation Programming and Leadership (4)
- RTM 284 – Supervised Field Work (3)
- BIO 100 OR 101 – General Biology OR World of Animals (3)
- GEOG 102 – Principles of Cultural Geography (3)
- GEOG 104 – Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning (3)
- GEOL 100 – Planet Earth (3)
- GEOL 101 – Dynamics of the Earth Laboratory (1)
- PSFA 100 OR PSY 101 – Sustainable Development (3) OR Introductory Psychology (3)
2. Minimum 2.3 GPA
A minimum GPA of 2.3 is required to get into upper division. Use the online GPA calculator to figure out grades needed to achieve your desired GPA.
3. 125 Hours of Supervised Field Work (RTM 284)
All RTM Majors are required to complete 125 hours of Supervised Field Work (RTM 284).
The supervised field work consists of 125 hours’ experience in recreation leadership. Observation and participation in community recreation leadership. Practical experience in a variety of recreational settings. Eight hours per week at an agency.
- Complete hours any time before starting upper division classes.
- Work part-time during school or full-time during summer and breaks.
- Work in any hospitality job, but we encourage you to work in your area of emphasis that you will be studying. Examples are:
- SDSU catering
- SDSU Viejas Arena
- SDSU Student Union
- Hotel front desk
- Hotel food and beverage
- Restaurant host
- Restaurant server
Please note: Retail is not considered hospitality experience. If you are unsure that your job fulfills this requirement or need assistance in finding employment, please set up a meeting with a lower division advisor.
4. Pre-Internship Meeting
In your 2nd semester of your sophomore year, you must attend a Pre-Internship Meeting. This is an important part of understanding the required internships and your attendance ensures your placement on the "Internship Search Database" where you will receive frequent postings that qualify for the 398 internship. Ms. Christina
4. Sign In for Upper Division
Once you have completed requirements 1-3 you must be signed into upper division by the RTM Faculty Advisor.
Upper Division Requirements
5. Upper Division Courses
Upper Division Requirements (51 Units)
Required:- RTM 304 – Leisure and Tourism (3)
- RTM 305 – Wilderness and Leisure Experience (3)
- RTM 351 – Recreation Therapy and Special Populations (3)
- RTM 404 – Cross-Cultural Perspectives of Tourism (3)
- RTM 469 – Administration/Operation of Recreation and Tourism Agencies (3)
- RTM 470 – Global Travel and Tourism Management (3)
- RTM 485 – Outdoor Recreation Planning & Policy (3)
- RTM 487 – Environmental and Cultural Interpretation (3)
- RTM 489 – Outdoor Leadership and Adventure Programming (3)
- RTM 498 – Internship in Recreation Systems (12)
- OCEAN 320 – The Oceans (3)
- RTM 468 – Marketing, Financing, and Assessment in RTM (3)
- RTM 483 – Outdoor Education and Camp Administration (3)
- RTM 484 – Directed Leadership (3)
- RTM 496 – Experimental Topics (3)
- ANTH 402 – Dynamics of Biocultural Diversity (3)
- BIO 315 – Ecology and Human Impacts on the Environment (3)
- BIO 326 – Plants, Medicines, and Drugs (3)
- BIO 327 – Conservation of Wildlife (3)
- GEOG 370 – Environmental and Natural Resource Conservation (3)
- GEOG 570 – Environmental Resource Conservation (3)
- GEOG 572 – Land Use Analysis (3)
- GEOG 575 – Geography of Recreational Land Use (3)
- GEOL 301 – Geology of National Parks and Monuments (3)
- PHIL 332 – Environmental Ethics (3)
- REL S 376 – Nature, Spirituality, Ecology (3)
6. Internships – RTM 498
Internship in Recreation and Tourism Management (6 or 12 units classes): Twenty off-campus hours required per week for 6-unit program, or 40 off-campus hours required per week for 12-unit programs. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor or department chair, completion of all required lower division recreation courses, and completion of both Standard or Multimedia First Aid certificate and CPR certificate by end of semester. For a six unit internship: 250 hours of professional work experience in recreation and tourism management. For a 12 unit internship: 500 hours required Credit for course requires completion of ePortfolio. Maximum credit 12 units.
7. International Experience
The L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is passionate in providing international experiences for our students. Outdoor Resource students not required but are highly encouraged to study abroad. It’s an AMAZING experience. Study abroad for a year, a semester, a summer, or a faculty lead trip. There are lots of options.
Recreation & Tourism Management Degrees
The Recreation and Tourism Management program provides a Bachelor of Science and a minor in Recreation Administration. Our program provides three emphasis areas that encompass the diverse field: