The Program and Event Management program at UNH is designed to prepare students for careers in event planning, tourism, and community recreation and sport. The Department of Recreation Management and Policy has been accredited with the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions since the early 1980s, and is nationally known for its Therapeutic Recreation and Outdoor Leadership and Management programs.
WHAT IS PROGRAM AND EVENT MANAGEMENT?
Whether you see yourself coordinating festivals or special events, working in the tourism or resort industry, organizing a youth sports program,or working in a municipal recreation setting, UNH’s program and event management degree will prepare you for a career in the rapidly growing recreation industry. You will gain the planning, administrative and leadership skills to work in a diverse array of recreation and event management organizations. You’ll also study key concepts in marketing, leadership, management and public policy in relation to delivering recreation services.
WHY STUDY PROGRAM AND EVENT MANAGEMENT AT UNH?
Hands-on, experiential learning is an important component of the program and event management option at UNH. Along with traditional classroom learning, you’ll study with professionals in the field and complete a full-time internship. You’ll also have opportunities to conduct research along side UNH faculty. You’ll be able to connect with fellow students through the Recreation Society, a student-led club promoting recreation opportunities for the UNH community.
POTENTIAL CAREERS
- Festival and event planner
- Ski and snowboard industry professional
- Community recreation program manager
- Recreation and youth sports programmer
- Youth and camp program director
- Resort staff or manager
- Recreation facility manager
- Non-profit administrator
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Curriculum & Requirements
This option prepares students for managerial positions in commercial, public, and nonprofit organizations that provide recreation and leisure services. Curriculum design emphasizes the effective and efficient planning, delivery, and evaluation of leisure-based programs, services, and enterprises. Applied experience is a component of most courses, in addition to a required practicum and the 10-16 week full-time internship under professional supervision. Depending upon the RMP electives and the career support emphasis or minor chosen, students may expect to find employment in a broad range of settings. Recent graduates have found employment in the areas of conference and event planning, municipal park and recreation services, recreational sports, commercial and entrepreneurial recreation businesses, youth-serving agencies, resorts, camps, and natural resource management positions in state and federal agencies.
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
All majors must complete a core curriculum of seven courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| RMP 490 | Recreation & Tourism in Society 1 | 4 |
| RMP 501 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for Recreation Services | 4 |
| RMP 557 | Program and Event Design | 4 |
| RMP 563 | Recreation Management and Policy Practicum | 2 |
| RMP 654 | Professional Development and Ethics | 2 |
| RMP 764 | Internship (Capstone) 2 | 8 or 12 |
- 1
RMP majors cannot count RMP 490 toward the Discovery Program Social Sciences requirement.
- 2
All RMP students must complete an 8 or 12 credit hour internship.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program and Event Management Option - Course Requirements | ||
| RMP 559 | Marketing the Recreation Experience | 4 |
| RMP 661 | Leadership in Recreation Services | 4 |
| RMP 663 | Management and Finance in the Experience Industry | 4 |
| RMP 724 | Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions | 4 |
| RMP 772 | Law and Public Policy in Leisure Services | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose from the following courses: | 16 | |
RMP 411 | Applied Recreation Risk Management | |
RMP 502 | Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation | |
RMP 503 | Therapeutic Recreation Rehabilitation Principles & Interventions | |
RMP 504 | Therapeutic Recreation Mental Health Principles and Interventions | |
RMP 505 | Therapeutic Recreation: Aging Services Principles & Interventions | |
RMP 560 | Recreational Sport Management | |
RMP 561 | Campus Recreation Applied Leadership | |
RMP 641 | Group Facilitation and Leadership | |
RMP 668 | Youth Culture and Programs | |
RMP 670 | Venue Management Design & Operations | |
RMP 603 | New Hampshire Ski Industry Management | |
RMP 680 | Festival and Event Planning | |
RMP 711 | Recreation Resource Management | |
RMP 720 | Adaptive Sport Facilitation for Recreation Therapy and Related Professions | |
RMP 768 | Theories and Philosophies of Youth Development | |
RMP 775 | Entrepreneurial and Commercial Recreation | |
RMP 776 | Human Dimensions of Natural Environments | |
RMP 780 | Event and Experience Design | |
Any HMGT course (one course/4 credits) | ||
Any OUT course(s) (up to 4 credits) | ||
Any LAP course(s) (up to 4 credits) | ||
or any courses recommended by academic advisor | ||
| Total Credits | 60-64 | |
Professional Internship
A supervised internship (RMP 764) is required of all majors and serves as their major capstone requirement. The internship is designed to create a bridge between theory and practical application. Students, working with their advisers and the internship coordinator, select an appropriate setting based on their professional and career interests. They must register for an 8 or 12 credit full-time internship that ranges from 10 to 16 weeks and is under the supervision of a qualified professional. Specific requirements are identified in the Internship Manual available from the Department of Recreation Management and Policy.
- Students will know and demonstrate the nature and scope of the recreation, events, and tourism profession and their associated industries.
- Students will know and demonstrate the techniques and processes used by professionals and staff in the recreation, events, and tourism industry.
- Students will know and demonstrate the foundation of the recreation, events, and tourism profession in history, science, and philosophy.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge about operations, strategic management, and administration in recreation, events, and tourism organizations.
- Students will demonstrate the potential to succeed as professionals at supervisory or higher levels in recreation, events, tourism, or related organizations through participation in structured practicum and internship experiences.
Explore Program Details
The mission of the Program and Event Management Option in the Department of Recreation Management and Policy is to provide professional learning and development opportunities for UNH students interested in working with a diverse array of community-based recreation and leisure programs, special events, facilities, and organizations through classroom teaching, lab, field, and service-learning experiences. Program and Event Management faculty and students seek to improve management and administrative practice in the recreation and leisure services field through research, engaged scholarship, and professional service throughout the country and world, with a special focus on the state of New Hampshire and the New England region.
Students interested in our Recreation Management and Policy and Event Management major may also be interested in these advanced degree offerings:
