Academics

Recreation and Leisure Administration

General Information
Located within the Department of Behavioral Sciences, the Recreation & Leisure Administration major offers exciting career opportunities for those interested in this unique people-oriented profession.  Recreation and Leisure Administration combines human services and business and can include:
  • Developing and facilitating organized activities for individuals and groups
  • Planning, managing, and maintaining recreation facilities, parks and other natural resource areas
  • Planning and implementing specialized programs, interventions or activities for people of all ages with disabilities or illnesses
  • Planning, marketing, and managing tourism facilities and attractions
  • Planning, organizing and implementing special events

You should major in Recreation and Leisure Administration if:

  • If you like working with people, helping to improve their quality of life
  • If you have a passion for recreation that you want to share
  • If you like to plan, organize, and implement activities
  • If you are looking for a career where every day is a little different, and never boring

Required Courses
Department of Behavioral Sciences

Career Opportunities
Therapeutic

  • Adapted sports programs
  • Adult day centers
  • Assisted living centers
  • Children’s homes
  • Correctional facilities
  • Hospitals
  • Juvenile services
  • Long-term care facilities
  • Nursing homes
  • Parks & Recreation Departments
  • Physical rehabilitation
  • Psychiatric treatment
  • Public schools
  • Specialty camps
  • Special Olympics
  • Other treatment and  non-treatment oriented agencies which provide services to individuals with disabilities

Community

  • Adventure Programs
  • Aquariums/Zoos
  • Aquatics Facilities
  • Boys & Girls Clubs
  • Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts
  • Camps
  • Campus Recreation
  • Community centers
  • Convention Centers
  • Country Clubs
  • Fitness centers/Spas
  • Military Recreation
  • Nature Centers
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Recreational Sports Leagues
  • Resorts/Cruise Ships
  • Retirement Communities
  • Senior Centers
  • Special Event Agency
  • Theme Parks
  • Tourism & Visitors Bureaus YMCA, YWCA, JCC’s

Objectives
There are two emphasis areas to choose from that prepare you for different sectors of the recreation industry.

Therapeutic Recreation (TR) is an established profession found in health care and human services agencies. It promotes play, recreation, and leisure as a means to psychological and physical recovery, health and well-being among individuals with disabilities and special needs. TR professionals use individual and group counseling techniques and play, recreation, and other activities to maximize an individual’s functioning and promote quality of life.  The Therapeutic Emphasis prepares you to work as a(n)*:

  • Activities director
  • Recreation therapist
  • Therapeutic recreation director
  • Therapeutic recreation specialist

Community recreation professionals play an important part in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds by facilitating recreation and leisure experiences.  Community recreation can be broad or very specific and can be governmental, non-profit, or for-profit in nature.  The question is not what can a community recreation professional do, but what can’t they do?  The Community Emphasis prepares you to work as a(n)*:

  • Camp director
  • Convention manager
  • Cruise director
  • Environmental educator
  • Event planner
  • Facility manager
  • Park manager
  • Recreation programmer
  • Recreation director
  • Youth director, aquatic director, sports director

* Some of these positions are entry level, while others require advanced degrees or experience

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