Nature-Based Tourism Management (BA Program)
Philip Mullins, Associate Professor
Jennifer Wigglesworth, Assistant Professor
Lauren Harding, Assistant 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
One of the following:
Introductory Ecology
Introduction to Canadian Business
Microeconomics
Introduction to Planning
Field Skills
Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Introduction to Environmental Citizenship
Environmental Perspectives
The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
Planet Earth
Earth from Above
*Note: Applications for exemption from NREM 100-3 must be made within the first year of study in any Natural Resource Management major.
200 Level
Introduction to Marketing
Statistics for Business and the Social Sciences
Basic Statistics
Environmental Perspectives
Global Environmental Change
An Introduction to Environmental History
The Practice of Conservation
Sustainable Recreation and Tourism
Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism
Outdoor Skills and Leadership
Recreation and Leisure Programming
Upper Division Requirement
300 Level
Entrepreneurship
Indigenous Environmental Philosophy
Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management
Recreation and Tourism Impacts
Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism
Outdoor, Environmental and Experiential Education
Field School
400 Level
Nine credit hours from the following:
Protected Areas Planning and Management
Conservation Area Design and Management
The Culture of Adventure
Leadership Praxis
Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities
Field School II
Internship
Special Topics
Independent Study
Area of Specialization
- Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Outdoor Education and Leadership
- Communities and Tourism
- Environment and Society
Financial Accounting
Services Marketing
Marketing Communication
Marketing Communication
Behavioural Marketing
Internet Marketing
International Marketing
Marketing Strategy
Organizational Behaviour
Introduction to Business Law
Introduction to International Business
Marketing Research
Environmental Economics and Environmental Policy
Rural Community Economic Development (CED)
Northern Communities
Outdoor Education and Leadership
Introduction to Education
Education Theory and Practice
Introduction to Environmental Citizenship
Leadership Praxis
Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities
One of the following:
Landscapes, Place and Culture
Field School
Ethnobotany
Global Environmental Change: Science and Policy
Topics in Environmental History
Field Applications in Resource Management
The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
Global History of Indigenous People
Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge
Social Geography
Cultural Geography
One of the following:
First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Rural Community Economic Development (CED)
Environmental Perspectives
Contemporary Challenges Facing Aboriginal Communities
Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making
Critical Development Geographies
Community-Based Research
Two of the following:
Ethnobotany
Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology
Advanced First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Cultural Geography
Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience
Environmental Justice
Northern Geographies
Geographies of Culture, Rights and Power
History of Indigenous People of Canada
Contemporary Circumpolar North
Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World
Community Development
Gender and Cultural Studies
One of the following:
Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism
Leadership Praxis
Introduction to Environmental Citizenship
Environment and Society
First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Environmental Perspectives
One of the following:
Introduction to GIS
Cartography and Geomatics
One of the following:
Mediation, Negotiation and Public Participation
Public Engagement for Sustainability
Society, Policy and Administration
Two of the following:
Landscapes, Place and Culture
Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology
Gender, Environmental, and Sustainability Studies
Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making
Environmental Justice
Northern Communities
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)
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)
Introductory Ecology
Introduction to Canadian Business
Microeconomics
Field Skills
Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Sustainable Recreation and Tourism
Outdoor Skills and Leadership
Recreation and Leisure Programming
Upper-Division Requirement (21 credit hours)
Indigenous Environmental Policy
Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management
Recreation and Tourism Impacts
Field School
Nine credit hours of the following:
Protected Area Planning and Management
Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism
Outdoor, Environmental and Experiential Education
Conservation Area Design and Management
The Culture of Adventure
Leadership Praxis
Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities
Field School II
Internship
Special Topics
Area of Specialization
- Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Outdoor Education and Leadership
- Communities and Tourism
- Environment and Society
Financial Accounting
Services Marketing
Marketing Communication
Two of the following:
Marketing Communication
Behavioural Marketing
Internet Marketing
International Marketing
Marketing Strategy
Organizational Behaviour
Introduction to Business Law
Introduction to International Business
Marketing Research
Environmental Economics and Environmental Policy
Rural Community Economic Development (CED)
Northern Communities
Outdoor Education and Leadership
Introduction to Education
Education Theory and Practice
Introduction to Environmental Citizenship
Leadership Praxis
Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities
One of the following:
Landscapes, Place and Culture
Field School
Ethnobotany
Global Environmental Change: Sustainability
Topics in Environmental History
Field Applications in Resource Management
Communities and Tourism
The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
Global History of Indigenous People
Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge
Social Geography
Cultural Geography
One of the following:
First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Rural Community Economic Development (CED)
Environmental Perspectives
Contemporary Challenges Facing Aboriginal Communities
Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making
Critical Development Geographies
Community-Based Research
Two of the following:
Ethnobotany
Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology
Advanced First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Cultural Geography
Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience
Environmental Justice
Northern Geographies
Geographies of Culture, Rights and Power
History of Indigenous People of Canada
Contemporary Circumpolar North
Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World
Community Development
Gender and Cultural Studies
One of the following:
Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism
Leadership Praxis
Environment and Society
Introduction to Environmental Citizenship
Environment and Society
First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
Environmental Perspectives
One of the following:
Introduction to GIS
Cartography and Geomatics
One of the following:
Mediation, Negotiation and Public Participation
Public Engagement for Sustainability
Society, Policy and Administration
Two of the following:
Landscapes, Place and Culture
Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology
Gender, Environment, and Sustainability Studies
Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making
Environmental Justice
Northern Communities
Topics in Environmental History
**Note: Students should note that some senior-level ORTM classes are offered in alternating years.
Course Prerequisites
Students must ensure that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Electives
Students take electives at any level in any subject sufficient to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours. This includes taking any additional credits necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation 15).
BA Honours – Nature-Based Tourism Management
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 the 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
Foundations of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Recreation and Tourism Impacts
One of the following:
Sustainable Recreation and Tourism
Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism
Outdoor Skills and Leadership
Recreation and Leisure Programming
Elective Courses
Nine credit hours from the following list with a minimum of 6 credit hours at the 400 level:
Protected Area Planning and Management
Land Relations and Communities in Tourism and Recreation
Outdoor, Environmental, and Experiential Education
The Culture of Adventure
Leadership Praxis
Critical Approaches to Outdoor Recreation Activities
