PhD Recreation, Sport & Tourism at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Programme overview

The Ph.D. program is designed to develop researchers and educators in the study of leisure behavior, the management of recreation, tourism, and sport systems that provide leisure services, or both. The Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism offers programs of study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Faculty: College of Applied Health Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Champaign, IL, United States

What you will study

Requires 12 credit hours. Required courses listed include RST 550 Theory and Methods of Leisure; RST 551 Contemporary Issues in Leisure; RST 553 Advanced Leisure Research Methods; RST 590 Doctoral Research Seminar and Colloquium (required for four semesters); RST 599 Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree).

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

The Graduate College admission requirements apply. Specifically, the admission requirements are a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) for the last two years of undergraduate work and any graduate work completed. In accordance with Graduate College requirements, applicants must receive a minimum score on the TOEFL of 103 and on the IELTS a minimum score of 7.5. Students are also required to provide an academic statement of purpose, a personal statement, a writing sample, and three letters of reference (at least one should be an academic reference). A video interview (e.g. Skype, Zoom) is required for Ph.D. and thesis-based MS applicants who do not speak English as their first language. Ph.D. students may be admitted for the fall or spring semesters. Teaching Experience Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered

Domestic applicants: USD 14,908 a year (2026-27). Illinois resident rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Non-Illinois U.S. resident tuition for this programme: $32,204. Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insura Source

International applicants: USD 32,204 a year (2026-27). International rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insurance, housing and other expenses as the source states them separately Source

Not all graduate programmes offer admission in all terms; term availability is set by each programme of study.

Graduate applicants apply online through the Graduate College application; deadlines and term availability are set by each programme. Medicine, law and veterinary medicine applicants apply directly to their colleges.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply

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