College and Curriculum Changes
The RPA/PRTM department has been through many changes over the years. Below are the colleges that the program has been a part of since its inception in 1966, with some changes to curriculum mentioned as well.
1966-1970: College of Education
1970-1995: College of Forest and Recreation and Resources
1995-2015: College of Health, Education, and Human Development
2015-Present: College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences
In the early 1970s, the curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree allowed students to select coursework from among several emphasis areas: Community Leisure Services, Recreation Resource Management, and Therapeutic Recreation (1970 Course catalog, pg. 190). In 1981, a proposal was filed by Dr. Herbert Brantley for some type of tourism and/or hospitality department at Clemson (From Brantley to Provost David Maxwell, 1981). The actual proposal was for a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration. Because the University of South Carolina already had a hospitality and restaurant management program, the proposal was rejected (From Dean Benton Box to Brantley, 1981). Dr. Herbert Brantley, along with Dean Benton Box of the College of Forestry and Recreation Resources, settled on a concentration area in travel and tourism for Clemson University. The first academic year that included a travel and tourism emphasis area is 1983-1984 (1983 Course catalog, 144). This is when the Recreation and Parks Administration (RPA) program became Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management (PRTM).
Taking the Program to a New Level: The Addition of the Master’s and PhD programs
The department has come a long way since its first class of undergraduates taking all the same courses in 1966. A professional master's degree (M.R.P.A.) was added to the then RPA program in 1972 (Gahan, personal communication, October 21, 2021). Along with the addition of the new emphasis area in travel and tourism at the undergraduate level, a Master of Science degree was approved by the Commission on Higher Education during the 1982-1983 academic year (Howell et al., PRTM News 1983).
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) was first offered in 1986 (Howell et al., PRTM News 1986). The doctoral program became effective in fall of 1986, with the official title of “Doctor of Philosophy in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management” (Howell et al., PRTM News 1986). The department’s proposal for a Travel & Tourism Institute was also approved by the commission (The Columbia Record, 1986).
