BS in Recreation Therapy
The University of Toledo offers a bachelor of science degree in recreation therapy (RECT). This degree requires 125 credit hours for graduation. The baccalaureate RECT program is the only undergraduate recreation therapy program in the State of Ohio and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT). This program meets professional standards set by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) and the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). This is an online degree program.
Students enrolling in the recreation therapy program receive an education designed to prepare them for employment in the areas of physical rehabilitation, psychiatric rehabilitation, geriatric services, pediatric services, camps for individuals with disabilities, community recreation for individuals with disabilities, and centers for intellectual deficits/developmental disabilities. Specialized tracks are available in psychology, pediatric, geriatric, communication, therapeutic arts and pre-occupational therapy.
The pre-occupational therapy track can provide the student with the background needed for application to graduate degree programs in occupational therapy. Requirements for occupational therapy graduate programs vary. It is the student's responsibility to complete all prerequisites for the graduate programs to which he or she plans to apply.
Students graduating from the RECT program will have met the educational and clinical eligibility requirements to sit for the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) examination as administered by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.
Students wishing to major in the recreation therapy program complete a pre-professional course sequence their freshman and sophomore years consisting of undergraduate core curriculum courses, pre-recreation therapy curriculum courses and recreation therapy support courses. Upon acceptance into the professional sequence entering their junior year, students complete 46 credit hours of recreation therapy-specific coursework followed by a 15-credit hour, 560-clock hour internship the summer of their senior year.
Requirements
- Current certification in CPR.
- Immunizations: Mantoux, Rubella Titer/ Roseolla (MMR), Hepatitis B required. Additional immunizations may be required by internship agency.
- Background checks: May be required by internship agency.
- Physical requirements: “Fit for Duty” test may be required by internship agency.
- Transportation: Students must provide their own transportation to internship site.
- Summer classes are required after the junior and senior years. Students graduate in August.
Bachelor of Science in Recreation Therapy
Below is a sample plan of study. Consult your degree audit for your program requirements.
| First Term | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 1110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| HHS 1000 | Health And Human Services/College Orientation | 1 |
| MATH 1180 | Reasoning With Mathematics | 3 |
| PSY 1010 | Principles Of Psychology 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 1300 | Introduction To Recreation And Leisure Studies 1 | 3 |
| SOC 1010 | Introduction To Sociology | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Term | ||
| ENGL 2960 | Professional and Business Writing | 3 |
| PSY 2510 | Lifespan Developmental Psychology 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 1310 | Introduction to Recreational Therapy Programming 1 | 3 |
| Natural Sciences Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Third Term | ||
| EXSC 1560 | Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology 1 | 3 |
| EXSC 1460 | Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology Lab 1 | 1 |
| PSY 2200 | Abnormal Psychology 1 | 3 |
| Arts/Humanities Core (Non-US Diversity) | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| HEAL 1800 | Medical Terminology 1 | 3 |
| HEAL 2500 | Personal Health 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 3310 | Inclusion and Recreational Therapy Services 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4720 | Introduction To Therapeutic Recreation 1 | 3 |
| Arts/Humanities Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fifth Term | ||
| RCRT 4000 | Community and Event Planning in Recreational Therapy Service 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4730 | Physical and Neurological Diagnosis and Conditions in Recreational Therapy Practice 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4740 | Assessment And Documentation In Therapeutic Recreation 1 | 3 |
| Diversity of US | 3 | |
| Select 3 of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Therapeutic Arts | ||
| Rt Intervention: Horticulture Therapy | ||
| Animal Assisted Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Activities | ||
| Rt Intervention: Therapeutic Groups | ||
| Relaxation And Stress Management | ||
| Rt Intervention: Leisure Education | ||
| Rt Intervention: Assistive Technology And Techniques | ||
| Rt Intervention: Aquatic Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Fitness | ||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Sixth Term | ||
| RCRT 4340 | Leisure, Recreation, And Aging in Recreational Therapy Practice 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4750 | Group Dynamics In Recreational Therapy 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4790 | Psychological Diagnosis and Conditions in Recreational Therapy Practice 1 | 3 |
| Select 3 of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Therapeutic Arts | ||
| Rt Intervention: Horticulture Therapy | ||
| Animal Assisted Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Activities | ||
| Rt Intervention: Therapeutic Groups | ||
| Relaxation And Stress Management | ||
| Rt Intervention: Leisure Education | ||
| Rt Intervention: Assistive Technology And Techniques | ||
| Rt Intervention: Aquatic Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Fitness | ||
| Hours | 12 | |
| Seventh Term | ||
| Summer | ||
| RCRT 4840 | Clinical: Pediatric 1 | 1 |
| RCRT 4800 | Clinical: Physical Rehabilitation 1 | 1 |
| Hours | 2 | |
| Eighth Term | ||
| RCRT 3710 | Outdoor and Adaptive Sports Program Delivery in Recreational Therapy Practice 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4450 | Research Applications In Recreational Therapy 1 | 3 |
| Track Elective | 3 | |
| Select 1 or 2 of the following: 1 | 2 | |
| Clinical: Psychiatric Rehabilitation | ||
| RT Clinical: Intellectual Deficits / Developmental Disability | ||
| Clinical: Geriatric | ||
| Select 2 of the following: 1 | 2 | |
| Therapeutic Arts | ||
| Rt Intervention: Horticulture Therapy | ||
| Animal Assisted Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Activities | ||
| Rt Intervention: Therapeutic Groups | ||
| Relaxation And Stress Management | ||
| Rt Intervention: Leisure Education | ||
| Rt Intervention: Assistive Technology And Techniques | ||
| Rt Intervention: Aquatic Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Fitness | ||
| Hours | 13 | |
| Ninth Term | ||
| RCRT 4330 | Administration In Recreational Therapy 1 | 3 |
| RCRT 4850 | Recreational Therapy Internship Preparation 1 | 1 |
| RCRT 4870 | Comprehensive Program Planning In Recreational Therapy 1 | 3 |
| Track Elective | 3 | |
| Select 1 or 2 of the following: 1 | 1 | |
| Clinical: Psychiatric Rehabilitation | ||
| RT Clinical: Intellectual Deficits / Developmental Disability | ||
| Clinical: Geriatric | ||
| Select 2 of the following: 1 | 2 | |
| Therapeutic Arts | ||
| Rt Intervention: Horticulture Therapy | ||
| Animal Assisted Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Activities | ||
| Rt Intervention: Therapeutic Groups | ||
| Relaxation And Stress Management | ||
| Rt Intervention: Leisure Education | ||
| Rt Intervention: Assistive Technology And Techniques | ||
| Rt Intervention: Aquatic Therapy | ||
| Therapeutic Fitness | ||
| Hours | 13 | |
| Tenth Term | ||
| Summer | ||
| RCRT 4770 | Recreational Therapy Project Design 1 | 2 |
| RCRT 4780 | Recreational Therapy Project Evaluation 1 | 2 |
| RCRT 4950 | Recreation Therapy Internship I 1 | 5 |
| RCRT 4960 | Recreation Therapy Internship II 1 | 5 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 125 | |
- 1
A "C" or better is required in this course.
7.01 a) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
entry-level knowledge of the scope and practice of the
therapeutic recreation.
Fundamental elements include:
Professionalism, including standards of practice,
credentialing, and codes of ethics of therapeutic
recreation service
Role and function of therapeutic recreation
professionals in health, human, recreation, education,
and other relevant systems
Models of service delivery and best practices in the
profession
7.01 b) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
entry-level knowledge of the techniques and processes of
the therapeutic recreation profession in decision-making.
Fundamental elements include:
Use of best professional practices based on theoretical,
philosophical, and scientific foundations of the field
Adherence to laws, regulations, standards of practice
and codes of ethics
Professional involvement
7.01 c) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
entry-level knowledge of the historical, philosophical,
theoretical, and scientific foundations of the therapeutic
recreation profession. Fundamental elements include:
Theoretical foundations of play, recreation, and leisure
behavior
Theoretical and historical foundations of therapeutic
recreation
Theoretical foundations of therapeutic recreation
service delivery (e.g., foundational models and theories)
Theoretical and scientific foundations of the systems in
which therapeutic recreation is delivered, including the
impact of technology and globalization on those
systems
Human functioning, including anatomy and physiology,
human growth and development across the lifespan,
variations in development and resulting disability,
psychology, including abnormal psychology, and
theories of human behavior change
Human services supportive areas (e.g., medical
terminology, pharmacology, counseling approaches,
therapeutic communication, community development,
positive behavioral supports)
7.02 a) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to create/select, conduct, and evaluate
individualized assessment for therapeutic recreation
services clearly reflecting application of knowledge from
relevant facets of contemporary professional therapeutic
recreation practice, science, and philosophy. Fundamental
elements of assessment:
Focus on leisure, physical, social, cognitive,
psychological/emotional, and spiritual domains of
human well-being
Encompass standardized assessments, observation,
interview, and record review
Are team-based and inter/transdisciplinary
Ascertain participants abilities, strengths, goals, and
aspirations
7.02 b) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to conduct individualized planning of
therapeutic recreation services clearly reflecting
application of knowledge from relevant facets of
contemporary professional therapeutic recreation
practice, science, and philosophy. Fundamental elements
of individualized planning:
Utilize assessment results to generate person-centered
contextualized plans Use appropriate and correctly formatted goals and
objectives
Use culturally relevant evidence-based interventions,
strategies, facilitation techniques, modalities, activities,
and adaptations
Are team-based and involve the family/community
Are contextualized to the service delivery system (e.g.,
health care, human services, recreation, education)
7.02 c) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to implement and facilitate therapeutic
recreation interventions and services for diverse clientele,
settings, cultures, and contexts. Fundamental elements of
implementation and facilitation include:
Individual and group leadership skills
Helping relationship skills
A variety of common therapeutic recreation
interventions, facilitation techniques, activities, and
modalities
Activity/task analysis, adaptation, and assistive
technologies
Team and family participation
Advocacy
Contextualization to the service delivery system (e.g.,
health care, human services, recreation, education)
7.02 d) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to document therapeutic recreation services
according to regulatory, professional, and system
requirements. Fundamental elements of documentation
include:
Assessment results
Individualized plans
Progress notes
Discharge/transition summaries
Compliance with agency, accreditation, and
professional standards for documentation
7.02 e) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to evaluate therapeutic recreation services at
the participant and program level and to use evaluation
data to improve the quality of services. Fundamental
elements include:
Use of appropriate research and evaluation designs and
methods to conduct formative and summative
evaluation to document outcomes from services
Use of evaluation results to improve services or
programs and show accountability
Quality assurance/quality improvement contextualized
to the service delivery system
7.03 Students graduating from the program shall be able to
demonstrate entry-level knowledge about facts,
concepts, principles, and procedures of
management/administration in therapeutic recreation.
Fundamental elements include:
Regulatory and legal compliance contextualized to
the service delivery system (e.g., health care, human
services, recreation, education)
Operations and maintenance
Finance and budgeting, reimbursement
Marketing and advocacy
Strategic and other agency/program level planning
Risk and safety management
Quality management
Human resource development and management
Professional development
Evidence- theory-based practices
Research and technological impacts
7.04 a) Students graduating from the program shall
demonstrate a readiness for the internship as
determined by meeting criteria set by the
program (e.g., fieldwork hours prior to the
internship, competency testing, GPA requirements
in core coursework, basic certifications in first
aid/CPR, other dispositions or candidacy
benchmarks set by the program).
7.04 b) Students graduating from the program shall
demonstrate, through a comprehensive and
culminating internship, the ability to apply the
therapeutic recreation process, use diverse,
structured ways of thinking to solve problems
related to different facets of professional practice,
engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.
The internship must meet current professional
standards for credentialing with the state,
national/international credentialing bodies.
entry-level knowledge of the scope and practice of the
therapeutic recreation.
Fundamental elements include:
Professionalism, including standards of practice,
credentialing, and codes of ethics of therapeutic
recreation service
Role and function of therapeutic recreation
professionals in health, human, recreation, education,
and other relevant systems
Models of service delivery and best practices in the
profession
7.01 b) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
entry-level knowledge of the techniques and processes of
the therapeutic recreation profession in decision-making.
Fundamental elements include:
Use of best professional practices based on theoretical,
philosophical, and scientific foundations of the field
Adherence to laws, regulations, standards of practice
and codes of ethics
Professional involvement
7.01 c) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
entry-level knowledge of the historical, philosophical,
theoretical, and scientific foundations of the therapeutic
recreation profession. Fundamental elements include:
Theoretical foundations of play, recreation, and leisure
behavior
Theoretical and historical foundations of therapeutic
recreation
Theoretical foundations of therapeutic recreation
service delivery (e.g., foundational models and theories)
Theoretical and scientific foundations of the systems in
which therapeutic recreation is delivered, including the
impact of technology and globalization on those
systems
Human functioning, including anatomy and physiology,
human growth and development across the lifespan,
variations in development and resulting disability,
psychology, including abnormal psychology, and
theories of human behavior change
Human services supportive areas (e.g., medical
terminology, pharmacology, counseling approaches,
therapeutic communication, community development,
positive behavioral supports)
7.02 a) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to create/select, conduct, and evaluate
individualized assessment for therapeutic recreation
services clearly reflecting application of knowledge from
relevant facets of contemporary professional therapeutic
recreation practice, science, and philosophy. Fundamental
elements of assessment:
Focus on leisure, physical, social, cognitive,
psychological/emotional, and spiritual domains of
human well-being
Encompass standardized assessments, observation,
interview, and record review
Are team-based and inter/transdisciplinary
Ascertain participants abilities, strengths, goals, and
aspirations
7.02 b) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to conduct individualized planning of
therapeutic recreation services clearly reflecting
application of knowledge from relevant facets of
contemporary professional therapeutic recreation
practice, science, and philosophy. Fundamental elements
of individualized planning:
Utilize assessment results to generate person-centered
contextualized plans Use appropriate and correctly formatted goals and
objectives
Use culturally relevant evidence-based interventions,
strategies, facilitation techniques, modalities, activities,
and adaptations
Are team-based and involve the family/community
Are contextualized to the service delivery system (e.g.,
health care, human services, recreation, education)
7.02 c) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to implement and facilitate therapeutic
recreation interventions and services for diverse clientele,
settings, cultures, and contexts. Fundamental elements of
implementation and facilitation include:
Individual and group leadership skills
Helping relationship skills
A variety of common therapeutic recreation
interventions, facilitation techniques, activities, and
modalities
Activity/task analysis, adaptation, and assistive
technologies
Team and family participation
Advocacy
Contextualization to the service delivery system (e.g.,
health care, human services, recreation, education)
7.02 d) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to document therapeutic recreation services
according to regulatory, professional, and system
requirements. Fundamental elements of documentation
include:
Assessment results
Individualized plans
Progress notes
Discharge/transition summaries
Compliance with agency, accreditation, and
professional standards for documentation
7.02 e) Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate
the ability to evaluate therapeutic recreation services at
the participant and program level and to use evaluation
data to improve the quality of services. Fundamental
elements include:
Use of appropriate research and evaluation designs and
methods to conduct formative and summative
evaluation to document outcomes from services
Use of evaluation results to improve services or
programs and show accountability
Quality assurance/quality improvement contextualized
to the service delivery system
7.03 Students graduating from the program shall be able to
demonstrate entry-level knowledge about facts,
concepts, principles, and procedures of
management/administration in therapeutic recreation.
Fundamental elements include:
Regulatory and legal compliance contextualized to
the service delivery system (e.g., health care, human
services, recreation, education)
Operations and maintenance
Finance and budgeting, reimbursement
Marketing and advocacy
Strategic and other agency/program level planning
Risk and safety management
Quality management
Human resource development and management
Professional development
Evidence- theory-based practices
Research and technological impacts
7.04 a) Students graduating from the program shall
demonstrate a readiness for the internship as
determined by meeting criteria set by the
program (e.g., fieldwork hours prior to the
internship, competency testing, GPA requirements
in core coursework, basic certifications in first
aid/CPR, other dispositions or candidacy
benchmarks set by the program).
7.04 b) Students graduating from the program shall
demonstrate, through a comprehensive and
culminating internship, the ability to apply the
therapeutic recreation process, use diverse,
structured ways of thinking to solve problems
related to different facets of professional practice,
engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.
The internship must meet current professional
standards for credentialing with the state,
national/international credentialing bodies.