The recreation degree program, founded in 1947 by the Department of Public Health and Recreation , has a core accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Park, Recreation, and Tourism Related Professions (COAPRT). The degree has maintained continuous accreditation since its first awarding of this status occurred in April 1987, demonstrating the rigor and recognition of our programs. The Bachelor’s degree in Recreation is a nationally accredited program comprised of a core set of classes and courses split generally between concentration courses and major electives. Graduates completing one of these concentrations are eligible to apply for national and state certification. While the general recreation degree is the most flexible in terms of choosing related electives, students may instead elect to complete a more specialized course of study in one of our two approved concentrations within the B.S. Recreation Degree: Recreation Management  and Recreation Therapy. We also offer MS in Recreation, all of which are designed to meet increasing needs and demands for recreation professionals and administrators in our growing fields of practices in public, non-profit, and commercial sectors, not only locally and regionally, but also nationally and globally.

Recreation therapy is a systematic process of treatment services that utilize recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to improve psychological and physical health, recovery, and well-being. Graduates of recreation therapy work in a wide range of health services settings (i.e. veterans administration, mental health, addictions, physical medicine, rehabilitation, prison/corrections, pediatrics, municipal park and recreation, hospice, skilled nursing, adventure/therapeutic camps, and private practice).

• Program Learning Outcomes  

Summary of Degree Units

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

Public Health and Recreation International Experience Requirement

To satisfy the Public Health and Recreation Department international requirement, students must study abroad for at least nine days in an approved program (exemption from the study abroad portion of the requirement must be approved by the dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences based on compelling individual life experiences or physical limitations. A relevant cross-cultural experience in the U.S. will be substituted). Specific details can be found on the college website.