The University of Vermont’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) major offers a college education to launch successful careers in the Recreation and Tourism industry, an industry that is a cornerstone of Vermont’s economy.
Why should you consider pursuing a career in Recreation and Tourism at UVM? First, consider the strength of this exciting field. Using Vermont as an example, during the recent recession, when manufacturing, construction, and most other industries lost thousands of jobs, the recreation and tourism sector of Vermont’s economy added 2,000 jobs! Second, pay scales in the field are competitive with other careers, with year round jobs ranging from a base of $20,000 – $25,000 for entry level positions to $140,000 and more for managerial positions. Third, workers across Vermont’s Recreation and Tourism industry have a 94 percent satisfaction rate with careers in this field. It is a solid life decision to love what you do for work!
The Parks, Recreation, and Tourism program at UVM is an integral part of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Our curriculum is based on a natural resource foundation, providing students with environmentally based learning, essential knowledge for maximizing success in many fields of work today, when the world we live in is challenged to re-generate itself and become sustainable into the future. PRT specific courses include for example: Foundations of Recreation and Tourism, Ski Area Management, Park and Wilderness Management, Ecotourism, Tourism Planning, Park and Recreation Design, Entrepreneurship in Recreation and Tourism, Wilderness Education and Leadership, and more!
Additionally, UVM’s PRT students participate in valuable internship learning experiences throughout Vermont, across the USA, and around the world. Also, many of our students pursue minor concentrations in fields such as business administration, political science, or a foreign language, in order to maximize the value from their educational experiences at UVM.
Together, PRT faculty and our career services staff assist our graduating students in securing rewarding career track jobs in all aspects of the Recreation and Tourism industry, from community recreation and public park management to the hospitality industry (lodging and food), and the mountain (ski) resort business. Our graduates often find excellent job opportunities right here in Vermont, as well as across the USA and around the world.
Even if you have your mind set on leaving Vermont, we encourage you to look closer to home. Your University of Vermont offers a more affordable education than many schools beyond our borders. Once you are living on the beautiful UVM campus, you are as close to home or as far away as you want to be. You will meet students from almost every other state in the USA and many foreign countries. You will make new life-long friends, right here in Vermont!
There is another compelling reason to consider studying at UVM. The campus home of the Rubenstein School, the George D Aiken Center, located adjacent to UVM’s fabulous Davis Student Center, is about to re-open after an 18-month, multi-million dollar renovation, taking it from a tired aging structure to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum building. The core of your learning environment at UVM will be in the most environmentally advanced building on the UVM campus and indeed in one of the most environmentally advanced buildings on any campus in the world!
It is probable that one of your greatest joys of living in Vermont, whether you were born here or are a more recent arrival to the Green Mountain State, is enjoying the outdoor recreation that Vermont offers, is known for world-wide, and that attracts tourists by the thousands year round. Pursuing your passion for the outdoors is the opportunity we offer in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism program at UVM. You grew up recreating in Vermont, surely having some terrific outdoor experiences…why not consider transforming your play into a career track on the UVM campus!
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