Curriculum

When you earn your B.S in Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership online from Oregon State, you’ll study the science behind sustainable resource use and learn how to advocate for better management practices. You’ll also develop leadership and decision-making skills that are informed by the laws, policies and regulations that impact tourism, recreation and outdoor leadership.

Read more about this degree program’s different options below.

Degree requirements

A minimum of 180 quarter credits — at least 60 of which must be upper-division credits — are required to graduate with your Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership degree, including:

• OSU's Baccalaureate Core (general education)
• Major requirements: Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership
  • Specialization option requirement: Outdoor recreation management or sustainable tourism management

Honors degree online

As an undergraduate degree-seeking student, you can apply to earn an honors degree online in your academic major. Earning this prestigious degree gives you the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research, complete a comprehensive thesis experience and engage in co-curricular activities.

Options

When you earn your B.S. in Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership online with Oregon State, you’ll choose between two program options.

Outdoor recreation management

As a student in the outdoor recreation management option, you’ll study public and private land management and learn the relevant laws and policies that impact outdoor recreation. You’ll be able to create monitoring and assessment protocols for recreation resources and understand how to facilitate understanding among diverse stakeholders to find solutions. 

Sustainable tourism management

In the sustainable tourism management option, you’ll study the benefits, trade-offs and challenges of tourism and learn how to work with communities, governments and nongovernmental organizations to build better solutions and opportunities. You’ll learn overall best practices and be able to apply business concepts to the planning and management of nature-based tourism opportunities.

Sample course topics

• Nature, eco and adventure tourism
• Recreation resource management
• Endangered species, society and sustainability
• Parks and protected areas management
• Multicultural perspectives in natural resources
• Environmental interpretation
• Planning for sustainable recreation
• Public lands policy and management
• Rural anthropology
• Biodiversity conservation in managed forests

Transfer credits

Some degree requirements may be transferred from other institutions. Please note that a minimum of 45 credits of the last 75 credits in this degree program must be completed at Oregon State (online or on campus) to meet the academic residency requirement.

Previously earned credits must be reviewed upon admittance to OSU for appropriate articulation. Additional information about transferring credits is available through OSU’s Transfer Credit Central.

Add a minor

As an Oregon State Ecampus student, you can add a minor to your undergraduate studies. OSU offers a diverse selection of minors online. Combine your B.S. in Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership with a minor in business or  communication to create an even more powerful résumé fit for today's job market. 

Or, consider earning an undergraduate certificate in geographic information sciences, which teaches other in-demand skills in this field.