Recreation and Parks Management, B.S. Community Recreation and Event Planning Concentration

Students who choose to focus on Community Recreation and Event Planning within the Bachelor of Science in Recreation & Parks Management degree are prepared to plan, implement, market, evaluate, and manage recreation programs and events.

Career opportunities for graduates include positions as an event planner, recreation center director, or recreation program planner in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. This concentration provides students with all of the requirements necessary to become Certified Parks and Recreation Professionals (CPRP).

Program Distinctions

• Accreditations & Affiliations:
  • Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions
  • National Recreation and Park Association
  • North Carolina Recreation and Park Association
  • The Academy of Leisure Sciences
• Program has been accredited continuously since 1981
• Faculty are credentialed and nationally recognized as exemplary teachers, advisers, and scholars

The Student Experience

• Students take courses such as program planning, leadership, parks and recreation facilities development, management, event planning, special event management, service management, recreation, parks and health, evaluation, and finance and budgeting.
• In the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP), students have the opportunity to graduate with a Bachelor of Science AND Master of Science degree, within a 5-year time period.
• Community Recreation and Event Planning students can minor in business administration, communication studies, entrepreneurship, environment, political science, sustainability, sociology, or sport coaching.
• Service-learning and volunteer opportunities offer hands-on practical experience in a myriad of professional and community settings.
• Students consistently earn scholarships and awards from state and national professional associations.
• Undergraduate research assistantships are available to support students as they gain valuable research experience by working with faculty members.
• Students gain practical experience working city events like the NC Folk Festival and Spartan Cinema, held in downtown Greensboro.
• Formal fieldwork placements totaling over 600 hours provide students extensive experience in the field prior to graduation (some sites include the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Greensboro Coliseum, the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club, ArtsGreensboro, National Park Service, and the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department, to name a few).

After Graduation

• Graduates work in city, county, and municipal governments; nonprofits; and commercial agencies in program management, facility management, and administration. Jobs also obtained in state and national parks. 
• Graduates interested in event planning have secured jobs as wedding planners, events managers, meeting planners, festival coordinators, project managers, travel specialists, reservation services managers, and event analysts.
• Potential career path examples: 
  • Campus Recreation Manager 
  • Event Planner
  • Commercial Recreation Business Owner
  • Recreation Program Planner 
  • Sporting Event Planner
  • Youth and Adult Sports Coordinator
  • Aquatics Director

AFFILIATED MINORS

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a minor in Videogaming and Esports that pairs well with this degree. Students complete one required course and 12 hours of electives in courses like Intro to 3D Animation and Fandom and Religion: Rituals, Texts, Communities. Learn More.

Additional affiliated minors include:

• Community and Therapeutic Recreation Undergraduate Minor
• Community Recreation Undergraduate Minor
• Event Planning Undergraduate Minor
• Recreational Therapy Undergraduate Minor