You will find the career full of opportunity for those candidates who prepare themselves with the proper education and training.

What Park Rangers Do

Park Rangers supervise, manage and perform work in the conservation and use of resources in national parks and other federally-managed areas. They protect our wildlands and educate the public on their use. Their daily tasks are varied: they may carry weapons and enforce the law, they may perform emergency rescues and first aid. They may fight wildland fires or serve as an interpreter, guide and naturalist. Today more than ever park rangers are advocates for our wildlands. Park Rangers work in urban, suburban and rural areas. More than half work east of the Mississippi. Much of their work is outdoors, but often they work in offices, especially as they advance to managerial responsibility. During their careers, most National Park Service Rangers can expect to be assigned to several different parts of the country.

Park Ranger Technology

The Park Ranger Technology Program provides training for those of you seeking careers in natural resource protection, interpretation, and management. The Park Ranger Technology (PRT) certificate programs are designed around all agency requirements and allow students to design a program around specific interests, career goals, and previous training or education. The PRT Certificate Program is appropriate for the following individuals:

* Students with a high school diploma, or some college, wishing to begin a program of study to prepare them for employment as a professional park ranger. In addition to the PRT Certificate of Concentration, the PRT program advisor will help you design an appropriate two-year associates degree that can be transferred to a four-year institution.

* Students seeking part-time or full-time seasonal employment as a park ranger with an agency (local, state, or federal) which may not require a four-year degree. Students are encouraged to first consult with the PRT program advisor before beginning any program of study.

* Students who already have a four-year degree in an unrelated field and who wish to make a career change.

• Introduction to Park Ranger Technology Certificate
• Park Ranger Specialist Certificate
• Natural Resource Interpretation Certificate

Red Rocks Community College is an equal opportunity service provider and employer and operates under permits from the USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Jefferson County Open Spaces, City of Lakewood, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and more.