2 bicyclists riding on a country road

Recreation, Sport & Tourism

Promote environmental stewardship. Lead social and economic development. Study management and marketing.

Undergraduate Degree

Learn to design, manage, and market ventures in the recreation, sport, and tourism industry.

Gain a foundation that integrates theory and practice, then choose one or more specializations to prepare yourself to become a leader in the field. Learn from internationally renowned faculty and participate in a variety of career-focused seminars, trips, and clubs that enrich your experience. Then utilize a one-semester internship to gain valuable real-world experience that will propel you into your chosen industry.

The Bachelor of Science curriculum in Recreation, Sport and Tourism (RST) prepares students to design, manage, and market recreation, sport and tourism enterprises. It provides a firm foundation for careers in the industry or for subsequent graduate study. A broad general education is complemented by a core of professional courses. The program includes a foundation that describes and integrates state-of-the-art theory and practice. Beyond that foundation, students choose to specialize in recreation, sport or tourism. The program also allows multiple specializations so that students can prepare for leadership by including combinations of recreation, sport and tourism courses in their curriculum. The major requires 128 credit hours for graduation. It consists of five components: general education requirements [36 hours], core requirements [39 hours], concentration requirements [9 hours], electives [32 hours], and an internship [12 hours].

  • The General Education requirements (GenEd) describe the mandatory courses all students campus-wide must take in order to graduate. They are an important component of students' education at the University of Illinois.
  • The Core Courses provide the necessary classes to enable students to understand the magnitude, characteristics, and impacts of the recreation, sport and tourism industry. The core courses also include training in management, marketing, finance, and strategy so that knowledge about the industry can be applied in the professional world.
  • Concentration Requirements enable students to develop advanced specialized knowledge about the substance and management in their preferred realm of the recreation, sport and tourism industry. Students pick at least one aspect – recreation or sport or tourism – in which to specialize. Students also have the freedom to specialize in any two or all three.
  • Electives give students the capacity to tailor their education by exploring topics of interest, and by broadening and deepening their skills and understandings. Students can blend non-required courses offered in Recreation, Sport and Tourism with courses offered anywhere in the university. In consultation with their advisor, students can develop a curriculum that precisely matches their needs and interests.
  • The Internship is a capstone experience through which students spend a semester applying all that they have learned. They work with a recreation, sport or tourism organization of their choosing in order to gain added familiarity with the industry, and to hone their skills.

Areas of Concentration

Recreation Management

Sport Management

Tourism Management

Internship

The culminating academic experience for students in Recreation, Sport and Tourism is a semester-long internship (12 credits) that provides students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained from classes to a professional environment. In consultation with the internship coordinator, an internship agency is selected which represents a match between the student's academic preparation and their career goals. This formal, guided learning experience is supervised simultaneously by the agency supervisor and university internship coordinator. Students may take an additional 6 credits (for a total of 18 credits) during the semester of their internship. See this page for details.

Curriculum

General Education

For more information about degree requirements contact your academic advisor or refer to the university catalog.

Code Course
Communication Arts

Hours: 9-10

Quantitative Reasoning I & II

Hours: 6

Humanities & The Arts

Hours: 6

Social & Behavioral Sciences

Hours: 6

Natural Sciences & Technology

Hours: 6

Foreign Language (completion of same language to third level in college or high school)

Hours: 4

Cultural Studies

Hours: 9

Total Hours: 39

Core Courses

For more information about degree requirements contact your academic advisor or refer to the university catalog.

Code Course
RST 100
RST 100 - Recreation, Sport and Tourism in Modern Society

Hours: 3

RST 101
RST 101 - Orientation to Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 1

RST 200
RST 200 - Leadership in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism

Hours: 2

RST 210
RST 210 - Management in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 240
RST 240 - Financial Resource Management in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 255
RST 255 - Ethical Issues in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 2

RST 325
RST 325 - Marketing in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 340
RST 340 - Facility Management in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 360
RST 360 - Communication in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 370
RST 370 - Research Methods & Analysis

Hours: 3

RST 410
RST 410 - Strategic Thinking in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 429
RST 429 - Contemporary Issues in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 4

RST 460
RST 460 - Event Management in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 465
RST 465 - Parks, Recreation and the Environment

Hours: 3

Total Hours: 39

Concentration Requirements

The undergraduate degree requires the following courses for each concentration.

For more information about degree requirements contact your academic advisor or refer to the university catalog.

Code Course
RST 120
RST 120 - Foundations of Recreation

Hours: 3

RST 317
RST 317 - Public Recreation

Hours: 3

RST 441
RST 441 - Community Recreation & Planning

Hours: 3

Total Hours: 9

Code Course
RST 130
RST 130 - Foundations of Sport Management

Hours: 3

RST - 354
RST 354 - Legal Aspects of Sport

Hours: 3

RST - 430
RST 430 - Sport & Development

Hours: 3

Total Hours: 9

Code Course
RST 150
RST 150 - Foundations of Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 351
RST 351 - Culture & Tourism

Hours: 3

RST 450
RST 450 - Tourism Development

Hours: 3

Total Hours: 9

Degree Requirements Summary

Code Course
General Education

Hours: 39

Core Courses

Hours: 39

Concentration Requirements

Hours: 9

Restricted Electives

Hours: 12

Free Electives

Hours: 20

Internship

Hours: 12

Total Hours: 131

Apply Now

To apply as an undergraduate in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, please visit our Apply Now page.