BS in Parks, Recreation and Sport
Degree Program Description
The field of parks, recreation and sport is a multi-billion dollar industry, which encompasses important environmental and social issues such as conservation, community building, human development, health and well-being, and the quality of life. The Parks, Recreation and Sport program provides students with opportunities to develop knowledge and skills for designing, managing, and evaluating various leisure services across a variety of user groups. The undergraduate degree program is comprehensive, yet tailored to meet the needs of students based on current job requirements and professional trends including leadership, communication. problem solving, accounting, and economics. All of our areas of emphasis are accredited with eligibility to sit for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional certification. A wide range of careers in Parks, Recreation and Sport include: outdoor education, park management, park ranger, resource manager, back country guide, visitor relations, recreation supervisors, facility managers, health and fitness, golf course management, park planner, cultural arts, aquatics, account executives, customer relations, game-day operations, compliance, fund raising, sales, and marketing.
Major Program Requirements
Students earning a Bachelor of Science in Parks, Recreation and Sport are required to complete all University general education, University graduation, and degree requirements, including selected foundational courses which fulfill University general education requirements.
Students majoring in Parks, Recreation and Sport may select one of the following emphasis areas:
- Natural Resources Recreation Management
- Recreation Administration
- Sport Management
- Tourism Development
A student may complete the B.S. in Parks, Recreation and Sport without selecting a specific emphasis area by completing an additional 27 credit hours beyond the major requirements (including 18 credit hours of PRST designated courses). A student may also earn a second emphasis by using the emphasis core requirements of one towards professional electives in the other (see emphasis area pages for additional details).
Students in Parks, Recreation and Sport are required to earn a C- or better in all Parks, Recreation and Sport core, internship, and emphasis area courses.
Students are admissible to transfer into this program with a 2.0 term GPA and 2.0 cumulative GPA. You are directly admissible into the program when you meet the University admissions requirements.
If you are planning to transfer courses (including AP credit) and would like to information on how they apply to a degree program(s), you can email CAFNRadvising@missouri.edu for general recommendations.
| Foundational Courses | 15 | |
| MATH 1050 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| or MATH 1100 | College Algebra | |
| STAT 1200 | Introductory Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| or STAT 2500 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics I | |
| or ESC_PS 4170 | Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| PSYCH 1000 | General Psychology | 3 |
| RU_SOC 1000 | Rural Sociology | 3 |
| or SOCIOL 1000 | Introduction to Sociology | |
| AGSC_COM 2220 | Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | 3 |
| or COMMUN 1200 | Public Speaking | |
| Parks, Recreation and Sport Core (minimum grade of C- in PRST core) | 26 | |
| PRST 1010 | The American Leisure Experience | 3 |
| PRST 1011 | Academic Planning and Career Orientation in Parks, Recreation and Tourism | 1 |
| PRST 2281 | Business of Sport and Recreation | 3 |
| PRST 2750 | Methods in Research and Evaluation | 3 |
| PRST 3210W | Personnel Management and Leadership - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| PRST 3215 | Program and Event Development | 4 |
| PRST 4100 | Ethics and Diversity | 3 |
| PRST 4150 | Contemporary Issues in Sport | 3 |
| or PRST 4250 | Parks, Health and Wellness | |
| PRST 4208 | Administration and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Internship (minimum grade of C- in internship courses) | 13 | |
| PRST 3189 | Pre-Internship and Career Development Seminar | 1 |
| PRST 4940 | Parks, Recreation, Sport and Tourism Internship | 12 |
| Business and Communication Core | 15-16 | |
| ABM 1041 | Applied Microeconomics | 3 |
| or ECONOM 1014 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| or ECONOM 1051H | General Economics - Honors | |
| ABM 2183 | The Agricultural Marketing System | 3 |
| or ABM 3224 | New Products Marketing | |
| or MRKTNG 3000 | Principles of Marketing | |
| ACCTCY 2010 | Introduction to Accounting | 3 |
| or ACCTCY 2026 | Accounting I | |
| or ACCTCY 2036 | Accounting I | |
| or ACCTCY 2136H | Honors Accounting I | |
| AGSC_COM 3240 | Communicating on the Web | 3 |
| or COMMUN 2100 | Media Communication in Society | |
| or ENGLSH 2030 | Professional Writing | |
| or SOCIOL 2310 | Culture and Mass Media | |
| or THEATR 1400 | Acting for Non-Majors | |
| H_D_FS 2400 | Principles of Human Development | 3-4 |
| or H_D_FS 2400W | Principles of Human Development - Writing Intensive | |
| or H_D_FS 2400H | Principles of Human Development - Honors | |
| Emphasis Area Requirements (minimum grade of C- in emphasis courses) | 27 | |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | MATH 1050 or 1100 | 3 |
| AGSC_COM 2220 or COMMUN 1200 | 3 | ABM 1041 or ECONOM 1014 | 3 |
| PRST 1010 | 3 | RU_SOC 1000 or SOCIOL 1000 | 3 |
| PRST 1011 | 1 | Humanities & Fine Arts | 3 |
| Humanities & Fine Arts | 3 | Missouri State Law Requirement | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PSYCH 1000 | 3 | ACCTCY 2010, 2026, 2036, or 2136H | 3 |
| STAT 1200, 2500, or ESC_PS 4170 | 3 | PRST 2750 | 3 |
| AGSC_COM 3240, COMMUN 2100, ENGLSH 2030, SOCIOL 2310, or THEATR 1400 | 3 | ABM 2183, 3224, or MRKTNG 3000 | 3 |
| PRST 2281 | 3 | Professional Elective | 3 |
| Biological or Physical Science with Lab | 3-4 | Emphasis Area Course | 3 |
| 15-16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| H_D_FS 2400 or 2400W | 3-4 | PRST 3215 | 4 |
| PRST 4100 | 3 | Emphasis Area Course | 3 |
| PRST 4150 or 4250 | 3 | Professional Elective | 3 |
| Emphasis Area Course | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| Professional Elective | 3 | Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 |
| 15-16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PRST 4208 | 3 | PRST 4940 | 12 |
| PRST 3210W | 3 | ||
| PRST 3189 | 1 | ||
| Emphasis Area Course | 3 | ||
| Professional Elective | 3 | ||
| Professional Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-122 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. Degree Audits are not available for all programs; however, please consult with the appropriate college or school for audit information.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, by clicking on the Request Degree Audit link. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to http://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com/index.htm. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to http://registrar.missouri.edu/degree-audits/index.php.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.