Recreation and Tourism Management

1. There are two components that all majors must complete: work experience and an internship.
2. Work experience
   Students are required to work a total of 1,000 hours in any area of the hospitality industry. This includes hotels, restaurants, private clubs, event companies, theme parks, camps, recreational facilities, etc.
3. Internship
   Of the 1,000 hours of industry work experience, at least 250 must be in an approved internship(s) at a recreation/tourism organization. Students should be assigned duties and responsibilities that are comparable to those performed by a full-time, entry-level employee.

1. Students can submit any hours they have worked within the hospitality/recreation industry as long as those hours were completed following graduation from high school.
2. To submit work experience hours, students submit a student report form and have the employer submit an employer evaluation form. These forms should be submitted at the end of the work experience, once all hours have been worked.
3. If there is any question as to whether a position meets the work experience requirement, contact Danielle DiBattista for clarification before accepting the position.
4. Students should register for HFT 4941 in the semester in which they plan to graduate.
   (This is a 0 credit hour course, and there are no assignments other than having the full 1,000 industry hours submitted by the end of that semester.)

Acceptable Work Experiences

Student Report Form

Employer Evaluation Form

1. When students secure an internship, they must have it approved by Danielle DiBattista.
2. Once the internship is approved, students will be provided with an internship contract to have signed by their employer.
3. Upon receipt of a completed internship contract, the student will be enrolled in HFT 3941: Management Internship. This class can be taken for 3, 6, 9 or 12 credits, depending on the number of hours the student expects to complete in the internship.
4. Upon completion of the internship, the student report form and employer evaluation form must be submitted in order that internship hours are counted toward the required 1,000 industry hours.
5. Recreation and Tourism Management students must complete the internship in recreation.

Students have multiple opportunities to meet with recruiters throughout each academic year:

Participating in student organizations provides an opportunity to attend conferences and further explore some of the top hospitality companies.

In addition to these networking opportunities, Dedman has two established internship programs in Destin, Florida and Dublin, Ireland.

Through partnerships with industry leaders, our faculty invite numerous guest lecturers to enter the classroom and provide insight to the hospitality and recreation industries, while also recruiting for internships and jobs. Students are also regularly contacted - usually by email - when industry partners are hiring for jobs or internships.

Our students have held internships with the following companies and organizations:

• Breckenridge Outdoor Center
• Bristol Bay Borough Parks and Recreation (Alaska)
• Camp Blue Ridge
• Camp Tekoa
• City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
• City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
• Visit Tampa Bay
• Florida Disabled Outdoor Association
• Florida Recreation and Park Association
• Florida Park Service
• Florida Trails Association
• Lee County Parks and Recreation
• Maclay Gardens State Gardens
• Memphis Redbirds
• Mountain Sky Guest Ranch
• Navy MWR
• Panama City Beach Sports Complex
• Red Hills Resort
• St. Andrews State Park
• St. Jude Children's Hospital
• Tallahassee Museum
• Vagabond Cruises
• YMCA of the Rockies
• Zoo Miami

For more information about internships and career opportunities, contact Danielle DiBattista.