Ken Otter, Professor and Chair
Philip Mullins, Associate Professor
Lauren Harding, Assistant Professor
Jennifer Wigglesworth, Assistant Professor
John Shultis, Adjunct Professor
Pamela Wright, Adjunct Professor
Website: www.unbc.ca/outdoor-recreation-tourism-management
Tourism has become the largest industry and employer in the world. One of the most important and fastest growing sectors in tourism is nature-based tourism, which comprises attractions, activities and experiences involving interaction with natural and cultural resources (e.g., ecotourism, adventure tourism, indigenous tourism). This degree examines the various components of the nature-based tourism system, giving emphasis to the entrepreneurial perspectives and sustainability issues in the industry. Reflecting the interdisciplinarity of the field, and related career directions, students select from the following Areas of Specialization: marketing and entrepreneurship, outdoor education and leadership, communities and tourism, or environment and society.
Major in Nature-Based Tourism Management (BA)
Area of Specialization - Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Area of Specialization - Outdoor Education and Leadership
Area of Specialization - Communities and Tourism
Area of Specialization - Environment and Society
BA Nature-Based Tourism Management (BA) (Diploma Completion)
Major in Nature-Based Tourism Management (BA Honours)
Minor in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management
Major in Nature-Based Tourism Management
Students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours through (a) the common degree requirements, (b) the requirements of an Area of Specialization and (c) elective credit hours in any subject.
Common Degree Requirements
Lower-Division Requirement
100 Level
| BIOL 110-3 | Introductory Ecology |
| COMM 100-3 | Introduction to Canadian Business |
| ECON 100-3 | Microeconomics |
| ENPL 104-3 | Introduction to Planning |
| NREM 100-3* | Field Skills |
| ORTM 100-3 | Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
One of the following:
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
| ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| FNST 100-3 | The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada |
| GEOG 101-3 | Planet Earth |
| GEOG 102-3 | Earth from Above |
*Note: Applications for exemption from NREM 100-3 must be made within the first year of study.
200 Level
| COMM 240-3 | Introduction to Marketing |
| ECON 205-3 | Statistics for Business and the Social Sciences |
| or STAT 240-3 | Basic Statistics |
| ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| or INTS 225-3 | Global Environmental Change |
| or HIST 360-3 | An Introduction to Environmental History |
| NREM 209-3 | The Practice of Conservation |
| ORTM 200-3 | Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 202-3 | Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism |
| ORTM 205-3 | Outdoor Skills and Leadership |
| ORTM 206-3 | Recreation and Leisure Programming |
Upper-Division Requirement
300 Level
| COMM 302-3 | Entrepreneurship |
| FNST 304-3 | Indigenous Environmental Philosophy |
| or NREM 303-3 | Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management |
| ORTM 300-3 | Recreation and Tourism Impacts |
| ORTM 307-3** | Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 332-3 | Outdoor, Environmental, and Experiential Education |
| ORTM 333-3 | Field School |
400 Level
Nine credit hours from the following:
| ORTM 305-3 | Protected Area Planning and Management |
| ORTM 400-3 | Conservation Area Design and Management |
| ORTM 401-3** | The Culture of Adventure |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
| ORTM 409-3** | Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities |
| ORTM 433-(1-6) | Field School II |
| ORTM 440-(2-6) | Internship |
| ORTM 498-(1-3) | Special Topics |
| ORTM 499-(1-6) | Independent Study |
**Note: Students should note that some senior-level ORTM classes are offered in alternating years.
Area of Specialization
Students must choose one of the following Areas of Specialization. Courses used to fulfill common degree requirements above may not be used to satisfy an Area of Specialization requirement.
- Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Outdoor Education and Leadership
- Communities and Tourism
- Environment and Society
Marketing and Entrepreneurship
| COMM 210-3 | Financial Accounting |
| COMM 342-3 | Services Marketing |
| or COMM 340-3 | Marketing Communication |
Two of the following:
| COMM 340-3 | Marketing Communication |
| COMM 343-3 | Behavioural Marketing |
| COMM 346-3 | Internet Marketing |
| COMM 441-3 | International Marketing |
| COMM 442-3 | Marketing Strategy |
Two of the following:
| COMM 230-3 | Organizational Behaviour |
| COMM 300-3 | Introduction to Business Law |
| COMM 303-3 | Introduction to International Business |
| COMM 443-3 | Marketing Research |
| ECON 305-3 | Environmental Economics and Environmental Policy |
| ENPL 313-3 | Rural Community Economic Development (CED) |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
Outdoor Education and Leadership
| EDUC 101-3 | Introduction to Education |
| EDUC 201-3 | Education Theory and Practice |
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
| ORTM 409-3** | Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities |
One of the following:
| ANTH 405-3 | Landscapes, Place and Culture |
| BIOL 333-3 | Field School |
| BIOL 350-3 | Ethnobotany |
| HIST 421-(3-6) | Topics in Environmental History |
| NREM 333-3 | Field Applications in Resource Management |
Communities and Tourism
| FNST 100-3 | The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada |
| or HIST 215-3 | Global History of Indigenous People |
| FNST 203-3 | Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge |
| or GEOG 206-3 | Social Geography |
One of the following:
| ENPL 208-4 | Land and Indigenous Reconciliation Studio |
| ENPL 313-3 | Rural Community Economic Development (CED) |
| ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| FNST 217-3 | Contemporary Challenges Facing Aboriginal Communities |
| GEOG 305-3 | Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making |
| GEOG 306-3 | Critical Development Geographies |
| GEOG 324-3 | Community-Based Research |
Two of the following:
| BIOL 350-3 | Ethnobotany |
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology |
| ENPL 409-4 | Indigenous Planning Studio |
| GEOG 403-3 | Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience |
| GEOG 420-3 | Environmental Justice |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
| GEOG 426-3 | Geographies of Culture, Rights and Power |
| HIST 390-3 | History of Indigenous People of Canada |
| INTS 240-3 | Contemporary Circumpolar North |
| NORS 321-3 | Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World 1 |
| POLS 332-3 | Community Development |
| WMST 209-3 | Gender and Cultural Studies: An Introduction |
One of the following:
| ORTM 307-3** | Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
Environment and Society
| ENPL 205-3 | Environment and Society |
| or ENPL 208-4 | Land and Indigenous Reconciliation Studio |
| or ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
One of the following:
| GEOG 204-3 | Introduction to GIS |
| GEOG 205-3 | Cartography and Geomatics |
One of the following:
| ENPL 304-4 | Community Engagement and Inclusion Studio |
| ENVS 326-3 | Public Engagement for Sustainability |
| NREM 306-3 | Society, Policy and Administration |
Two of the following:
| ANTH 405-3 | Landscapes, Place and Culture |
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology |
| ENVS 309-3 | Gender, Environment and Sustainability |
| GEOG 305-3 | Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making |
| GEOG 420-3 | Environmental Justice |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
| HIST 421-(3-6) | Topics in Environmental History |
**Note: Students should note that some senior-level ORTM classes are offered in alternating years.
Course Prerequisites
Students should review all proposed course selections in advance to make sure course prerequisites are taken where needed.
Electives
Electives at any level in any subject sufficient to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours.
Major in Nature-Based Tourism Management (Diploma Completion)
This 60-credit-hour program of study is available only to students with a 2-year diploma.
Degree requirements: Two-year Diploma in Environmental Studies, Natural Resources, Tourism, Sport or Recreation Studies, Commerce, Geography, or equivalent, with a minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.00, plus (a) 42 credit hours of required courses; (b) 18 credit hours in an Area of Specialization; and (c) elective credit hours in any subject as necessary to ensure completion of a minimum of 60 credit hours (minimum 30 upper-division credit hours) at UNBC.
Curriculum
Lower-Division Requirement (24 credit hours)
| BIOL 110-3 | Introductory Ecology |
| COMM 100-3 | Introduction to Canadian Business |
| ECON 100-3 | Microeconomics |
| NREM 100-3 | Field Skills |
| ORTM 100-3 | Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 200-3 | Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 205-3 | Outdoor Skills and Leadership |
| ORTM 206-3 | Recreation and Leisure Programming |
Upper-Division Requirement (18 credit hours)
| FNST 304-3 | Indigenous Environmental Policy |
| or NREM 303-3 | Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management |
| ORTM 300-3 | Recreation and Tourism Impacts |
| ORTM 333-3 | Field School |
Nine credit hours of the following:
| ORTM 305-3 | Protected Area Planning and Management |
| ORTM 307-3** | Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 332-3 | Outdoor, Environmental, and Experiential Education |
| ORTM 400-3 | Conservation Area Design and Management |
| ORTM 401-3** | The Culture of Adventure |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
| ORTM 409-3** | Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities |
| ORTM 433-(1-6) | Field School II |
| ORTM 440-(2-6) | Internship |
| ORTM 498-(1-3) | Special Topics |
**Note: Students should note that some senior-level ORTM classes are offered in alternating years.
Area of Specialization
Students must choose one of the following Areas of Specialization. Courses used to fulfill common degree requirements above may not be used to satisfy an Area of Specialization requirement.
- Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Outdoor Education and Leadership
- Communities and Tourism
- Environment and Society
Marketing and Entrepreneurship
| COMM 210-3 | Financial Accounting |
| COMM 342-3 | Services Marketing |
| or COMM 340-3 | Marketing Communication |
Two of the following:
| COMM 340-3 | Marketing Communication |
| COMM 343-3 | Behavioural Marketing |
| COMM 346-3 | Internet Marketing |
| COMM 441-3 | International Marketing |
| COMM 442-3 | Marketing Strategy |
Two of the following:
| COMM 230-3 | Organizational Behaviour |
| COMM 300-3 | Introduction to Business Law |
| COMM 303-3 | Introduction to International Business |
| COMM 443-3 | Marketing Research |
| ECON 305-3 | Environmental Economics and Environmental Policy |
| ENPL 313-3 | Rural Community Economic Development (CED) |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
Outdoor Education and Leadership
| EDUC 101-3 | Introduction to Education |
| EDUC 201-3 | Education Theory and Practice |
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
| ORTM 409-3** | Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities |
One of the following:
| ANTH 405-3 | Landscapes, Place and Culture |
| BIOL 333-3 | Field School |
| BIOL 350-3 | Ethnobotany |
| HIST 421-(3-6) | Topics in Environmental History |
| NREM 333-3 | Field Applications in Resource Management |
Communities and Tourism
| FNST 100-3 | The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada |
| or HIST 215-3 | Global History of Indigenous People |
| FNST 203-3 | Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge |
| or GEOG 206-3 | Social Geography |
One of the following:
| ENPL 208-4 | Land and Indigenous Reconciliation Studio |
| ENPL 313-3 | Rural Community Economic Development (CED) |
| ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| FNST 217-3 | Contemporary Challenges Facing Aboriginal Communities |
| GEOG 305-3 | Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making |
| GEOG 306-3 | Critical Development Geographies |
| GEOG 324-3 | Community-Based Research |
Two of the following:
| BIOL 350-3 | Ethnobotany |
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology |
| ENPL 409-4 | Indigenous Planning Studio |
| GEOG 403-3 | Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience |
| GEOG 420-3 | Environmental Justice |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
| GEOG 426-3 | Geographies of Culture, Rights and Power |
| HIST 390-3 | History of Indigenous People of Canada |
| INTS 240-3 | Contemporary Circumpolar North |
| NORS 321-3 | Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World 1 |
| POLS 332-3 | Community Development |
| WMST 209-3 | Gender and Cultural Studies: An Introduction |
One of the following:
| ORTM 307-3** | Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 405-3** | Leadership Praxis |
Environment and Society
| ENPL 205-3 | Environment and Society |
| or ENPL 208-4 | Land and Indigenous Reconciliation Studio |
| or ENVS 210-3 | Environmental Perspectives |
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
One of the following:
| GEOG 204-3 | Introduction to GIS |
| GEOG 205-3 | Cartography and Geomatics |
One of the following:
| ENPL 304-4 | Community Engagement and Inclusion Studio |
| ENVS 326-3 | Public Engagement for Sustainability |
| NREM 306-3 | Society, Policy and Administration |
Two of the following:
| ANTH 405-3 | Landscapes, Place and Culture |
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology |
| ENVS 309-3 | Gender, Environment and Sustainability |
| GEOG 305-3 | Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making |
| GEOG 420-3 | Environmental Justice |
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities |
| HIST 421-(3-6) | Topics in Environmental History |
**Note: Students should note that some senior-level ORTM classes are offered in alternating years.
Course Prerequisites
Students should review all proposed course selections in advance to make sure course prerequisites are taken where needed.
Electives and Academic Breadth
Students take electives at any level in any subject sufficient to ensure the completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours. This includes taking any additional credit hours necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).
BA Honours – Nature-Based Tourism Management
The Honours in Nature-Based Tourism Management offers students a higher level of education and substantial research experience for proceeding to postgraduate studies.
To enter the Honours Program, students must have completed 60 credit hours and obtained a minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.33. Attaining the minimum requirement does not guarantee entry into the Honours Program, which is at the discretion of the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Program. Maintenance of a Cumulative GPA of 3.33 is required to remain in the Honours Program.
Honours students must complete the degree requirements for the BA in Nature-Based Tourism Management. In addition, each student must also complete an additional 6 credit hours in the form of an undergraduate thesis (NRES 430-6) under the supervision of a faculty member.
Note: Students are responsible to find their own undergraduate thesis research supervisor. Faculty members are under no obligation to supervise Honours students.
Minor in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management
The minor in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management is designed to afford students an opportunity to gain foundational knowledge in tourism and recreation while pursuing another major. The minor requires students to take a total of 18 credit hours. The minor has three required courses basic to the field of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (9 credit hours) and a set of elective courses (minimum of 9 credit hours). A maximum of two courses (6 credit hours) used to fulfill program requirements for a major (or another minor) may also be used to fulfill requirements for this minor.
Required Courses
| ORTM 100-3 | Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 300-3 | Recreation and Tourism Impacts |
One of the following:
| ORTM 200-3 | Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 202-3 | Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism |
| ORTM 205-3 | Outdoor Skills and Leadership |
| ORTM 206-3 | Recreation and Leisure Programming |
Elective Courses
Nine credit hours from the following list, with a minimum of 6 credit hours at the 400 level:
| ORTM 305-3 | Protected Area Planning and Management |
| ORTM 307-3 | Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism |
| ORTM 332-3 | Outdoor, Environmental, and Experiential Education |
| ORTM 401-3 | The Culture of Adventure |
| ORTM 405-3 | Leadership Praxis |
| ORTM 409-3 | Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities |
Updated: May 23, 2024