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
From the CHHS Blog
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 |
|---|---|---|
| RMP 490 | Recreation & Tourism in Society | 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 724 | Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions | 4 |
| RMP 764 | Internship 1 | 8-12 |
- 1
All RMP students must complete an 8 or 12 credit hour internship.
Program and Event Management Option - Course Requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 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 772 | Law and Public Policy in Leisure Services | 4 |
| Statistics - select one of the following: | 4 | |
PSYC 402 | Statistics in Psychology | |
SOC 402 | Statistics | |
MATH 439 | Statistical Discovery for Everyone | |
ADMN 510 | Business Statistics | |
| Electives: Choose any 4 of the following (16 credits total) 2 | 16 | |
RMP 560 | Recreational Sport Management | |
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 775 | Entrepreneurial and Commercial Recreation | |
RMP 780 | Event and Experience Design | |
| Emphasis or Minor requirement | 18-20 | |
| Emplasis (minimum of 18 credits) or Minor (18-20 credits) with C- or better, approved by their advisor. | ||
| Total Credits | 84-92 | |
- 2
RMP courses completed to fulfill the elective course requirement may not be used to fulfill the emphasis area requirement; unless prior approval from the student's academic advisor is granted.
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:
