Current Opportunities

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Dates: April 26-May 3

The Clemson University Institute for Parks, the Friends of the Smokies, the George Wright Society, School of Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee and the National Park Service announce an exciting opportunity for graduate students. Applications are being accepted for participation in a visitor management and marketing focused Park Break Program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). The objective of this program is for students to develop multi-media materials of park experiences and destinations that provide useful guidance to better serve park visitors and to empower visitors to seek destinations that match their expectations by helping distribute visitation across GRSM. GRSM is consistently the most visited national park, with over 13 million visitors in 2023.  This amount of visitation presents challenges for managers charged with providing opportunities for visitor enjoyment while also conserving the natural and cultural resources of the park. This Park Break will produce destination descriptions that will help visitors make decisions about where they want to recreate with a stated goal of dispersing use to under-utilized destinations in the park.

What is included? Park Break is an all-expenses-paid, park-based service-learning program for graduate students who are thinking about a career in park management or park-related research. The program provides students with an opportunity to visit a national park unit for five to seven days and collaborate with scholars, managers, and partner organizations to solve real world problems. 

 Who is eligible? Graduate students (Ph.D. or Master’s level) who are studying in fields related to parks, protected areas, cultural sites, fine arts, communications, marketing, tourism, recreation therapy, and other relevant fields. We especially invite folks with expertise in visitor management, photography, social media, graphics, marketing, and communications to apply. 

 Park Break puts you on the path to success: Many Park Break fellows have been hired by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Other Park Break alums have embarked on Ph.D. programs. Park Break makes you and your skills visible!

Deadline to apply is March 15, 2025.