Our Mission

We create, share, and apply knowledge about parks, recreation, and tourism to inspire students, inform policy, serve social needs, encourage sustainability and economic vitality, and advocate for the health of people, communities, and the environment of which we are part.

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Our Values

• Student centeredness; Student involvement; Community connections; Informed and engaged citizenship; Excellence in and integration of scholarship, teaching, and service; Outdoor, experiential, and traditional instruction; Speculative as well as applied knowledge; Ecological literacy; Diversity and inclusion; Career development and professional advancement of our graduates; Independent and lifelong learning.

• COAPRT standard 2.05.05 requires reporting of aggregated results of learning outcomes assessment. Results for the most recent academic year (AY 2015) follow:

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• Six-Year Graduation Rate: 53%

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• • Outcome 1 from Standard 7.01: Student's will demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of the principles of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.

  • Outcome 1 Measure Type: Direct

  • Outcome 1 Result: 97% of students earned 75% or above.

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• • Outcome 2 from Standard 7.02: Students demonstrate their ability to design, implement and evaluate a program with agencies in the Salt Lake Valley.

  • Outcome 2 Measure Type: Direct

  • Outcome 2 Result: 88% of students earned 75% or above.

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• • Outcome 3 from Standard 7.03: Students demonstrate their knowledge and ability to apply foundational knowledge and management principles through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.

  • Outcome 3 Measure Type: Direct

  • Outcome 3 Result: 95.6% of students earned 75% or above 

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• • First Accredited: 03/14/1979​

  • Next Review: Congress 2018

  • Options: A B D

  • Status: Accredited

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​​Accreditation Standards & Achievement  

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In 2014 I officially declared my major as Parks, Recreation and Tourism with an emphasis in Community Recreation and Sports Management. What I really love about the PRT department is how organized and structured the four year plan is laid out. I was very impressed with how well everyone on the PRT staff worked with each other and I am also very pleased with how hard my instructors and advisers worked in order to help me achieve the ultimate goal: graduation. This May of 2017, I plan to graduate with a a Bachelor of Science Degree in PRT-Community Recreation and Sports Management. Over the course of four years, I have achieved all of the four standards of accreditation with a lot of help from Eric Gardiner, Betsy Cook, Preston Tanner, and Linda Ralston.

 

• 7.01 - Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the following entry-level knowledge: a) the nature and scope of the relevant park, recreation, tourism or related professions and their associated industries; b) techniques and processes used by professionals and workers in these industries; and c) the foundation of the profession in history, science and philosophy.

  • ​PRT 3310 Leisure Behavior & Human Diversity covered the philosophy of leisure (class completed Spring 2015)

  • As well as a few U-Explore classes such as Hiking at Arches National Park and PRT Map & Compass (Leave No Trace)

• 7.02 - Students graduating from the program shall be able to demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.

  • ​This standard was the focus of PRT 3310 Leisure Behavior & Human Diversity (Spring 2015) 

  • This standard was the focus of PRT 3320 Rec Programming and Leadership (Summer 2015)

• 7.03 - Students graduating from the program shall be able to demonstrate entry-level knowledge about management/administration in parks, recreation, tourism and/or related professions.

  • This standard was the focus of PRT 5460 Electronic Marketing. (Completing Fall 2016)

  • This standard was the focus of PRT 3207 Management of PRT (Completed Summer 2015) 

• 7.04 - Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate, through a comprehensive internship of not less than 400 clock hours, the ability to use diverse, structured ways of thinking to solve problems related to different facets of professional practice, engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.

  • This standard was the focus of PRT 4828 Co-Op Education II (Senior Internship-Completed Fall 2016)

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