MASTER OF SCIENCE
The faculty in the Department of Recreation Management and Tourism offer a program leading to the M.S. degree in Recreation.
The M.S. degree program is designed to prepare students to analyze critical topics and issues pertinent to the field of leisure and recreation. Its four areas of concentration are: outdoor recreation, recreation administration, social/psychological aspects of leisure, and tourism and commercial recreation.
Students choose between two academic options: the thesis option or the nonthesis option that includes the completion of an applied project.
Admission. Students applying to the M.S. program must have achieved a GPA of 3.00 or the equivalent in the last two years of work leading to the bachelor’s degree. Applicants should submit their application, application fee, and all undergraduate transcripts to the Graduate College prior to February 15. To be considered for fall admission, candidates must have their Graduate Record Examination (or Miller’s Analogy Test) scores, a statement of professional and academic goals, and three letters of recommendation sent to the Department of Recreation Management and Tourism by March 1. Only complete application files will be reviewed by the graduate faculty for admission and assistantship consideration. Students without undergraduate academic work in the recreation/tourism disciplines will be required to take six semester hours of deficiency course work in addition to the M.S. degree requirements. Deficiency course work may be taken in conjunction with M.S. degree classes.
Program of Study. Completion of the M.S. degree in Recreation on the average requires approximately two years of study. Students may select a thesis or nonthesis option. The thesis option is a research-oriented degree and is recommended for students planning to continue graduate studies beyond the master’s degree. The nonthesis option is intended for students seeking additional knowledge and expertise relevant to professional career development in the recreation field. Advisement and direction in both options are under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
Program Requirements: Thesis Option. The thesis option requires the successful completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours, of which six to nine hours can be taken outside of the department of recreation management and tourism. Included in the 30 semester hours are six hours of thesis (REC 599), which must be defended in an oral examination before a supervisory committee of at least three faculty members.
| REC 500 | Research Methods I (3) |
| REC 501 | Research Methods II (3) |
| REC 552 | Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Leisure (3) |
| REC 555 | Social and Psychological Aspects of Leisure Behavior (3) |
| REC electives (within the major) (6–9) | |
| Electives (outside the major) (6–9) | |
| Thesis (6) | |
| Minimum total: 30 | |
Program Requirements: Nonthesis Option. The nonthesis option consists of 39 semester hours, of which 12 semester hours may be taken outside the department. The option includes three hours of applied project (REC 593). The applied project should reflect a substantive analysis of a professionally oriented topic related to the student’s area of concentration. Before final approval, the student’s project must be defended in an oral examination and must receive the written approval of two department faculty members who serve on the supervisory committee.
| REC 500 | Research Methods I (3) |
| REC 552 | Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Leisure (3) |
| REC 555 | Social and Psychological Aspects of Leisure Behavior (3) |
| REC 593 | Applied Project (3) |
| REC 598 | Special Topics (3) |
| REC Electives (within the major) (12) | |
| Electives (outside the major) (12) | |
| Minimum total: 39 | |
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis is an option.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis or an applied project is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The study of leisure and recreation is a multidisciplinary field of research, scholarship, and program development. Recent scholarly activity of departmental faculty and students reflects this approach. Major research areas include the following: international travel and tourism; philosophy of leisure; recreation resource planning; social and psychological analyses of leisure behavior; leisure and youth development; travel and tourism policy and planning; urban recreation administration; outdoor recreation and wilderness management; cross-cultural analysis of play and leisure; gender differences in leisure behavior patterns; nonprofit agency leadership/management.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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