Auburn Parks and Recreation Management students receive instruction on the Leave No Trace initiative at Crooked Oaks, the former homestead of Auburn football coach Pat Dye.
Students now have greater access to exciting career opportunities in the field of parks and recreation thanks to a new degree option approved by Auburn University’s Board of Trustees on Nov. 21.
At their quarterly meeting, the Auburn Trustees approved the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment’s (CFWE) proposal to create a transfer-friendly Leadership and Planning option for the existing Parks and Recreation Management major.
A new option, driving new opportunities
The new Leadership and Planning option will provide students with training on how to plan, conduct, develop and administer outdoor recreation programs. Students will take courses in community- and nature-based recreation, event management, programming, leadership and communications.
The novel curriculum prepares students for positions within city and county park and recreation systems as programmers, sports and recreation league managers, camp and event coordinators, outdoor educators, field guides and other similar occupations focused on creating recreational opportunities and events for the public.
“Not all students are interested in the administrative aspects of managing parks and recreation departments and facilities, preferring to have more hands-on involvement with events such as fishing and soccer tournaments, mountain biking and running races, or other educational activities and community programs,” said Todd Steury, CFWE associate dean of academic and faculty affairs. “The Leadership and Planning option is custom-made for these students.”
Transfer-friendly and accessible
Given the ‘outward-facing’ orientation of these recreation careers, the new degree option places greater emphasis on leadership and communications, and less on the administrative, financial and facilities management aspects of the major. This approach significantly reduces the number of course electives and alleviates the need for an internship, which is a requirement for the Parks and Recreation Management major.
“We anticipate the flexibility of this option will be very appealing to transfer students or those who have less time to dedicate toward completing an internship,” said Steury. “They can easily transfer to Auburn from a community college at the beginning of their junior year, having fulfilled their core curriculum requirements, and still graduate on time with a highly employable bachelor’s degree. Those who have seasonal commitments or competing priorities will also find the degree accessible.”
Filling an in-demand niche
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the outdoor recreation economy accounted for nearly 2% of the total U.S. GDP in 2021. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of “recreation workers” is expected to grow by 10% between 2021 and 2031, outpacing the average growth rate across other job categories.
According to Innovate Alabama, the state’s outdoor recreation industry supports 65,000 jobs and generates $3 billion in wages and salaries. At its recent Outdoor Recreation Summit held in April 2025, leaders and stakeholders highlighted the breadth and importance of Alabama’s outdoor recreation opportunities, the strength of the outdoor recreation economy and the industry’s challenge to further drive and support this growth.
To meet this demand, Auburn’s new Leadership and Planning Option will fuel the state’s workforce with qualified talent trained to administer recreation facilities and plan and lead outdoor recreation programs and events within municipalities, counties and state-run parks and recreation facilities.
Auburn’s program, like no other
As part of its program evaluation, CFWE faculty inventoried other programs offered within Auburn and at other Alabama universities and colleges and found that Auburn’s outdoor/natural resource focus is unique among its counterparts, whose programs emphasize coaching and managing sporting teams and private facilities.
“We are proud to offer students and employers an innovative program that will empower them to provide citizens with high-quality outdoor recreation experiences across Alabama’s vast natural landscapes,” said Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the CFWE.
“For those who are considering Auburn or are just now learning about the CFWE’s diverse academic programs, we eagerly invite you to reach out to our Office of Student Services to learn more about the new Leadership and Planning option or CFWE’s other natural resource-focused majors.”
Courses within the degree are currently available, and the program is anticipated to be approved by the Alabama Council on Higher Education this month. It will be available for degree selection in spring 2026. For more information, visit cfwe.auburn.edu.
(Written by Jamie Anderson)
