Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences - PhD

The Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences graduate program has produced leaders in private industry, public services, and in academia. The prestige of our department can largely be attributed to its faculty, both past and present. Our current faculty publishes more research than any department of its type, and has won multiple awards at the department and individual level (for both teaching and research).

The Ph.D. degree prepares students for a career as a university faculty member or research scientist in a government agency or the private sector. Work leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is designed to give the candidate a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of his or her professional field and training in methods of research. The final basis for granting the degree shall be the candidate’s grasp of the subject matter of a broad field of study and a demonstrated ability to do independent research. In addition, the candidate must have acquired the ability to express thoughts clearly and forcefully in both oral and written languages. The degree is not granted solely for the completion of coursework, residence and technical requirements, although these must be met.