The Recreation and Tourism Management Program is well situated in leisure-oriented southern California and the nation’s seventh largest city, San Diego. With 70 miles of beaches and coastline along the Pacific Ocean, a variety of landscapes, including mountains, wetlands, and deserts, San Diego is a region that is rich in tourism and recreation resources and is only a short driving distance to bordering Mexico.

The Recreation and Tourism Management Program has offered a baccalaureate degree in Recreation Administration since 1956. The current curriculum leads to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation Administration with an emphasis in Outdoor Resource Management and Recreation Management. (A new emphasis in Sustainable Tourism Management is being planned for 2008.)

Tourism and recreation are among the largest and fastest growing sectors of the US economy. The purpose of the degree program is to nurture professionals who can demonstrate appropriate leadership skills and competencies in the management of recreation and tourism programs and services in the 21st century. The Recreation and Tourism Management Program with its degree program and research center, is aligned with the goals and values of San Diego State University and the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.