Department of Recreation Management

General Information About the Recreation Management Department

The Department of Recreation Management aims to provide comprehensive training in organizing indoor and outdoor activities, organizing travel plans, and designing customized programs for diverse tourist groups, all with the goal of improving individuals' overall quality of life and helping them make the most of their free time outside of their daily routines. In this context, the entertainment industry, hotels, congress, fair, and festival centers, event management companies, medical facilities providing health tourism services, museums, historical sites, libraries, ski resorts, thermal springs, mountaineering, camping, and theme parks are among the primary employment opportunities for our graduates.

My Department's Mission: To broaden the vision and competence of our students while making a positive difference in society and the lives of individuals involved in tourism activities; to be one of the dynamic education programs in our country with our numerous foreign language options, theoretical and practice-oriented education, joint activities with industry stakeholders, and bilateral agreements with equivalent educational institutions abroad.

Purpose of the Department: The aim is to train individuals who have theoretical and practical experience in recreation management and tourism sectors, are knowledgeable about current technology and the digital world, have the ability to read, write and speak at least two foreign languages, have developed leadership, communication, creativity and entrepreneurship skills, observe professional ethics and moral values and protect living rights.

Department Admission Requirements: The Recreation Management Department accepts students based on verbal scores.

Clothing and Equipment Required for the Job: There is no mandatory clothing and equipment.

Expenses for Consumables, Tools, and Equipment Used in Course Practices: There is no tuition fee for exams, materials, or educational services. However, the tools, equipment, uniforms, and other materials used in practical courses vary depending on the instructor's course schedule. Therefore, if deemed necessary by the instructor, students may be required to provide course materials in some courses.

Program Content, Department Location: The four-year undergraduate program in Recreation Management consists of core core courses, vocational courses in recreation and tourism, general marketing, economics, and management-based courses, and numerous foreign language options. Recreation Management is a department within the Faculty of Tourism, located on the Kınıklı Campus, Pamukkale University's main campus.

Part-Time Student Work Opportunities : Pamukkale University offers part-time work opportunities to students. For detailed information, see: https://www.pau.edu.tr/sks/tr/sayfa/kismi-zamanli-calisma

Scholarship, Meal, Dormitory, and Other Opportunities: Meal services are provided in two halls, the Green Hall and the White Hall, within the Central Dining Hall on the Pamukkale University Kınıklı Campus. Lunch is served only in the White Hall, while both lunch and dinner are served in the Green Hall. Additionally, the White Cafe, Morfoloji Cafe, Havuzbaşı Cafe & Restaurant, PAU Cafe, Ay Cafe, Social Facilities Guesthouse Restaurant, Vitamin Cafe, Göl Cafe, Yakut Cafe, and Zümrüt Cafe are also available on the Kınıklı Campus. There is also a canteen within the faculty. Pamukkale University students receive a food scholarship every year. For detailed information, please see: https://www.pau.edu.tr/sks/tr/sayfa/burs-hizmetleri

In addition, various institutions and organizations provide different scholarship opportunities to students and reserve quotas for our faculty.

Our university's main campus, Kınıklı Campus, is home to student dormitories affiliated with the Credit and Dormitories Institution, with a capacity of 4,150 students. Rooms in these dormitories are shared by two or four students and are designed for students with limited financial means. These state-owned dormitories include study halls, a library, a game and TV room, a dedicated laundry and ironing area, a canteen and cafes, a hairdresser, a multi-purpose indoor sports hall, a football field, and an athletics track. Numerous private dormitories and apartments near the campus in Denizli also offer student housing. Additionally, Kınıklı Campus has a 24-bed guesthouse and an attached restaurant. For more information, please see: https://ebs.pusula.pau.edu.tr/bilgigoster/sayfa.aspx?lng=1&pi=4511797E-966F-4EDB-B121-1F62807BCF4E

Departmental Data (Faculty, Students, and Graduates): The Department of Recreation Management currently has three assistant professors. The department began accepting its first students in the 2022-2023 Fall Semester. Therefore, the department has not yet graduated any students.

Graduation Requirements: To successfully complete the Recreation Management Department, students must pass all departmental courses (equivalent to 240 ECTS credits), achieve a GPA of at least 2.30 out of 4.00, and complete a mandatory internship program consisting of 60 work days. Students can complete the internship in half (30+30 work days) by splitting it into two summer terms, or in one go (60 work days).

Employment Opportunities: Employment opportunities for students graduating from the Department of Recreation Management are diverse. The fields offering job opportunities are listed in detail below.

  • Hotel businesses and holiday villages,
  • Group A travel agencies,
  • National and international airline companies,
  • Blue flag marinas and yacht businesses,
  • Cruise ships and floating facilities,
  • Event and organization companies,
  • Congress, fair and festival centers,
  • Entertainment businesses and theme parks,
  • Sports, golf and swimming facilities,
  • Ski resorts,
  • Facilities providing health tourism services (medical, thermal, wellness and spa centers),
  • Camping areas and facilities (such as natural life, weight loss, motivation, yoga centers),
  • Provincial Planning and Coordination Directorates serving under the Governorships,
  • Urban Aesthetics Departments, Environmental Protection and Control Departments and Parks and Gardens Directorates serving within the municipalities,
  • General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
  • Health, Culture and Sports Departments in state and foundation universities,
  • Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Provincial Directorates of Culture and Tourism,
  • Non-governmental organizations, foundations, associations, professional associations, federations and confederations that play a role in the development of the tourism sector,
  • Museums and historical sites,
  • Libraries,
  • State and private theatres (membership of the team responsible for organization and preparation),
  • Social facilities of public institutions,
  • Media, communication and promotion organizations that publish tourism-themed publications,
  • Tourism-based non-governmental organizations serving disadvantaged groups,
  • Sports clubs.

Distinctive Features of the Department

The proportion of recreational activities people engage in to spend their free time is increasing annually, placing the tourism sector among the leading economic sectors experiencing consistent growth globally. When examined specifically in Turkey, it is clear that the contribution of the recreation-related tourism sector to the gross national product is becoming increasingly evident, and investments in this field are being encouraged in national development plans. Accordingly, the field of recreation and tourism is a vital business field, attracting the attention of capital investors, continuing to provide labor-intensive services despite technological advancements, and inspiring confidence in the sustainability of employment resources due to its high readiness to respond to unexpected changes. Considering that tourism and recreational activities will continue to grow in conjunction with population growth, the sector's need for a trained workforce that prioritizes service quality will become evident. Therefore, it is safe to say that graduates of the Department of Recreation Management have high and stable employment opportunities.

Recreation Management Department Learning Outcomes

  1. To learn the basic concepts of recreation management,
  2. Gain skills and experience in recreation management-related professions,
  3. To be individuals who have the ability to read, write and speak at least two foreign languages,
  4. To be competent and entrepreneurial individuals with developed leadership skills in the field of recreation management,
  5. To gain skills, experience and competence in the management of businesses serving in the field of recreation,
  6. Being individuals with well-developed human relations and extroverts,
  7. To recognize, understand and analyze the psychological and sociological reasons for leisure time behavior,
  8. To be individuals who respect and protect the rights of living beings,
  9. To be competent individuals who follow the digital world and can adapt and use technological developments in professional life,
  10. To be individuals with critical thinking and analytical analysis skills,
  11. To be individuals who act in line with professional ethics and moral principles in the decisions they make in business life,
  12. To be individuals who can design and implement projects related to recreation management at regional, national and international levels. 

Academic Subunit Advisory Board

Department of Recreation Management - Course Curriculum