• Description of Program
• Degree Requirements
• Special Opportunities
• Careers

Description of Program

Housed within the Department of Health & Wellness Design, the Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors (PRO) program prepares professionals to enhance the quality of life of individuals and communities through careers related to parks, recreation, and engagement with the outdoors. With a focus on purposeful design, organizational management, and service delivery, students will learn how to succeed in a wide variety of settings in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. All of this is developed under the umbrella of public health to amplify the covenants of social justice, equity, access, and most of all: the pursuit of happiness.

Quality courses with a small faculty/student ratio and varied fieldwork opportunities assure our students an outstanding, applied, engaging educational experience.

Degree Requirements

This is a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Health & Wellness Design with a major in Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors. Graduation requirements include:

• completion of general education requirements.
• completion of Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors major requirements.
• a minimum of 120 successfully completed credit hours that count toward the degree program.
• a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
• no pass/fail except for free electives.

General Education (20-39 credits)

All undergraduate students must complete the IU Bloomington General Education Common Ground Requirements.

Major (75 cr.)

A combined 2.0 cumulative GPA in courses used to complete the PRO Focus Area, Required Core Courses, and Professional Electives.

Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors Focus Area (24 cr.)
Complete each of the following courses:

• SPH-R 101 Resource Development & Fundraising (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 220 Foundations of Parks, Recreation & the Outdoors (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 221 Creating Sense of Place through Design (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 414 Legal Aspects of Recreation (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 244 Natural History & Field Ecology (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 340 Interpretation & Tour Guiding (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 360 Human Health & Natural Environments (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 413 Applications in Outdoor Recreation, Parks, & Human Ecology (3 cr.) (P: PRO Major or Minor)

Required Core Courses (30 cr.)
Complete each of the following courses:

• SPH-R 200 Health & Happiness by Design (3 cr.) +S&H
• SPH-R 210 Inclusion in Health & Wellness Design (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 311 Management in Health & Wellness (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 312 Career and Internship Preparation (3 cr.) (P: SPH-R 200 -or- SPH-B 150 -or- SPH-K 150) (P: Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors Major or Minor)
• SPH-R 314 Data-Based Decision-Making Methods (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 410 Event Planning & Program Development (3 cr.) (P: junior -or- senior)
• SPH-R 497 Professional Internship (12 cr.) (P: SPH-R 312 -and- 2.0 GPA -and- completion of 320 Field Experience Hours)

Professional Electives (21 cr.)
Complete 21 credits from the list below:

• SPH-O 214 Wildflowers & Wild Edibles (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 279 Outdoor Adventure Education (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 305 Integrated Resource Management (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 310 Ecosystem Management (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 313 Wilderness and Protected Lands (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 318 Outdoor Recreation Consortium (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 324 Outdoor Experiential Educ. Instructional Techniques (3 cr.)
• SPH-O 341 Field Techniques in Environmental Education (3 cr.)
• SPH-B 310 Healthcare in Diverse Communities (3 cr.)
• SPH-B 366 Community Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-K 200 Computer Technology in Public Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-K 216 Foundations of Physical Activity and Public Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-M 328 Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (3 cr.)
• SPH-M 333 Sport in America: Historical Perspective (3 cr.)
• SPH-M 382 Sport in American Society (3 cr.)
• SPH-M 426 Sales Management in Sport (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 230 Recreational Sports Programming (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 235 Sport and Violence (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 250 Topics in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies (1-3 cr.)
• SPH-R 321 Aquatic Management (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 350 Seminar in Recreation & Parks (1-3 cr.)
• SPH-R 388 Experience Marketing (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 391 Readings in RPTS (1-3 cr.)
• SPH-R 395 Practicum in RPTS (1-6 cr.)
• SPH-R 413 Fiscal Management of Leisure Service Orgs (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 426 Human Resource Management in Health and Wellness Design (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 431 Youth Sport Management (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 484 Workshop in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies (1-6 cr.)
• SPH-R 492 Research in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies (1-3 cr.)
• SPH-T 302 Management of Food & Beverage Operations (3 cr.)
• SPH-T 323 Festival and Event Management (3 cr.) (P: SPH-T 201)
• SPH-W 305 Introduction to Outdoor Leadership (3 cr.)
• SPH-W 331 Wilderness First Responder (3 cr.)
• SPH-Y 225 Disability, Health, and Function (3 cr.)

+ Courses followed by an S&H notation apply toward completion of both the major requirement and the general education, social and historical studies requirement.

Special Opportunities

During the course of study, students have the opportunity to work and train in a variety of professional public, non-profit, private, and community settings. Through course practicums, projects, field experiences, and a culminating internship, students acquire leadership, management, programming, marketing and evaluation, legal, and communication skills. The department boasts more than 75 years as a leader in the field with a wide network of alumni to support deep connections and options for career placement.

Careers

According to the National Recreation and Park Association, a career in Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors (PRO) means enhancing the quality of life for all people through advancing environmental conservation efforts, social equity, and health and wellness. The job outlook for PRO graduates is excellent. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated in 2019 that employment of recreation workers is projected to grow 10 percent by 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. As more emphasis is placed on the importance of lifelong well-being, more recreation workers will be needed to work with children and adults in a variety of settings. The Department of Health & Wellness Design prepares a monthly nationwide listing of jobs in the field, which totals more than 1,500 potential positions for graduates annually.

A large number of transferable skills are developed through the PRO program, including personnel, facility, site, financial/fiscal, and natural resource management, to public communication and research methods. PRO students also develop skills in promoting justice, equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion in the sites where they work. These skills prepare students for a wide range of careers.

Many PRO graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees including the following: Master of Science (M.S.) in Recreation with options in Outdoor Recreation or Recreation Administration; Master of Public Health (M.P.H) with a focus on Parks, Recreation, & the Outdoors; and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leisure Behavior.

Careers could be centered around:

• Parks & the Outdoors
  • Park and Protected Area Manager (municipal, state, national), Park Ranger/Specialist (Resource Management, Interpretation & Education; Visitor & Resource Protection, Healthy Parks/Healthy People), Trail Planner, Ecological Restoration Specialist, Wildland Firefighter/Fire Effects Monitor, Visitor Wellness Specialist, Conservation Officer, Adventure Educator, Outdoor/Environmental Educator, Naturalist (private, public, or non-profit sector), Wilderness Guide.
• Recreation
  • City Parks and Recreation Director, Summer Residential Camp Director, Youth Recreation Specialist, Recreation Facility Manager, Community Specialist, Community Special Events Manager, Aquatics Manager/Director, Community Recreation Health and Wellness Coordinator, Sport Facility Manager, Event Manager, Military Recreation Personnel, Recreation Manager/Supervisor, Youth and Adult Sports Program Director, Campus Recreation Administrator, Afterschool and Day Camp Director, Community Farmers' Market Director.