Therapeutic Recreation Major, BS

Program Description

The Therapeutic Recreation (TR) program provides curricular and co-curricular experiences for students to become leaders in therapeutic recreation and related professions. Graduates meet requirements to apply for certification by the National Council for Therapeutic Certification and licensure by the state of North Carolina. The program is shaped by these value statements: Healthy recreation and leisure involvement is fundamental for life satisfaction; therapeutic recreation uses recreation and leisure experiences to help people with disabilities and other limiting conditions to recover, develop, maintain, and improve their quality of life; effective therapeutic recreation practitioners are grounded in theoretical concepts and employ evidence-based intervention in all practice settings; the use of high impact practices increase the effectiveness of learning experiences; diversity and inclusion are critical components for the effect delivery of services; and community engagement contributes to healthy lifestyles for all.

 

Certification

Students who graduate with a major in therapeutic recreation meet requirements to apply for certification through the National Council for Therapeutic Certification. Information about the requirements can be found by visiting the website, by phone at 845-639-1439 or email nctrc@NCTRC.org

 

TR Program Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. summarize relevant concepts and theories. [history, philosophy, play, recreation, leisure]

2. relate behavioral knowledge to human function. [culture, diagnoses, etc.]

3. illustrate best practices for human service providers. [professionalism, models of service delivery, role and function of human service provider, legal/regulations, SOP, professional involvement]

4. authentically assess individuals and communities.

5. design various plans for effective service provision.

6. implement person-centered programs and services.

7. explain concepts and procedures related to management.

8. demonstrate the ability to think critically and to solve problem. [evaluation, research]

9. demonstrate the ability to communication effectively. [oral, written]

10. apply knowledge, skills, and abilities in structured authentic situations.

 

Major Requirements

Students generally complete TRC 2305, TRC 2307, PSY 3306, PSY 3336 (pre-requisite PSY 2301 for both), and BIO 2311/2111 (pre-requisite BIO 2301) as part of their general education requirements. Students then complete Recreation and Therapeutic Recreation core courses in a sequenced manner following a TR faculty advisor’s recommendations. All courses required for the TR Degree must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. Students complete a full time, semester long internship after successfully finishing all course and non-course requirements for the degree.

OT Option Requirements

The OT (Occupational Therapy) Option is a specialized advising paradigm to prepare therapeutic recreation students for application to graduate programs in OT. Students must have a GPA of 2.8 to qualify for the OT Option. In addition to other required TR degree courses, students complete TRC 3320 along with other specific courses. Students in the OT Option are advised by TR advisors.

 

Therapeutic Recreation Major (42-54 SH and 18 SH non TRC courses)

Healthy recreation and leisure involvement as well as community engagement are fundamental for life satisfaction and healthy lifestyles.  Therapeutic recreation uses recreation and leisure experiences to help people with mental, developmental, social, and physical disabilities to recover, develop, maintain, and improve their quality of life.   Effective therapeutic recreation practitioners are grounded in theoretical concepts, employ evidence-based interventions, inclusiveness, and pay attention to issues of diversity in all practice settings.  

Foundation (12 SH):

These courses provide students with basic knowledge of the nature and scope of the therapeutic recreation profession and its associated service delivery systems and the foundations of the therapeutic recreation profession in history, theory, science and philosophy.  All majors are required to take the following courses.  The four foundation courses require 12 semester hours.

TRC 1305             Living Well!* [GE LO-Critical Reading]

TRC 1307             Play It Like You Mean It* [GE LO-Information Literacy]

TRC 1311             Leisure in Society:  Service Delivery Systems* [GE LO-Oral Communication]

TRC 2312             Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation

*Can be taken as part of general education. 

Breadth in the Major (15 SH):

Therapeutic recreation requires familiarity with planning, implementing, assessing, and evaluating therapeutic recreation services as well as managing, marketing and financing programs all with attention to personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.  To address this breadth in the discipline the faculty has designed the following five courses, which all must be taken for 15 semester hours.

TRC 3323             Program Planning in Recreation

TRC 3340             Assessment and Documentation in Therapeutic Recreation

TRC 3342             Procedures in Therapeutic Recreation

TRC 3352             Principles in Therapeutic Recreation

TRC 4306             Organization and Management

Breadth outside the major (18 SH):

National Certification and State Licensure necessitates a minimum of 18 semester hours outside the major with 3 courses specified. Students may choose three courses from any area of social sciences and humanities with guidance from their academic advisor; these courses may also be taken as part of general education.

BIO 2311             Anatomy and Physiology I* ~ [GE LO-Scientific Literacy]

PSY 3306              Abnormal Psychology*~

PSY 3336              Developmental Psychology*~

Select 3 3-credit hour courses from non TRC offerings

~Requires pre-requisite that can be taken in general education

*Can be taken as part of general education. 

 

 

Depth (15-27 SH):

The therapeutic recreation program provides students the opportunity to develop deeper knowledge and skills in one area of the discipline and offers an honors curriculum for those students who excel in their studies.  The depth areas require 15-27 semester hours. 

 

Licensure (27 SH)	Leadership in Recreation – Non Licensure (15-21 SH)	Honors Curriculum with Licensure (25-27 SH)
TRC 4300/3300 Research Methods and Evaluation   TRC 4301 Professional Preparation   TRC 4303 Advanced TR   TRC 0122 Internship in TR   Choose two courses from among:   TRC 3301 Leisure & Aging   TRC 3318 Leadership & Supervision   TRC 3350 Youth & Adolescent Adventure Program Planning   TRC 4310 Leisure Education	TRC 4300/3300 Research Methods and Evaluation   TRC 3318 Leadership & Supervision   TRC 4350 Recreation Internship 3-9 credit hours   Choose two courses from among:   TRC 3301 Leisure & Aging   TRC 3350 Youth & Adolescent Adventure Program Planning   TRC 4310 Leisure Education   # Please see NOTE below regarding licensure and certification eligibility	TRC 4300/3300 Research Methods and Evaluation   TRC 4301 Professional Preparation   TRC 4303 Advanced TR   TRC 0122 Internship   TRC 3103 Independent Study (1-3 SH) to complete research project   Choose one course from among:   TRC 3301 Leisure & Aging   TRC 3318 Leadership & Supervision   TRC 3350 Youth & Adolescent Adventure Program Planning   TRC 4310 Leisure Education

 

Honors Curriculum (25-27 SH)

An honors curriculum has been developed to address students’ desire for a more research oriented undergraduate experience, usually in preparation for graduate school, as well as to allow faculty to mentor and develop researchers.  Students successfully completing the curriculum will graduate with Honors in Therapeutic Recreation.

Application for admission to the honors curriculum should occur after midterm semester of the semester when the student is taking TRC 2312 (see website for dates each term).  Admission to the honors curriculum is restricted to students who meet the following criteria. 

1. Complete TRC 2312 with a grade of B or higher
2. Officially declared Therapeutic Recreation as their major
3. A cumulative GPA of 3.4
4. No grade lower than a B in any TR courses (possible one exception with a strong recommendation by a faculty member)
5. Identification of a faculty mentor and a potential area of research
6. Recommendation by the Therapeutic Recreation Honors committee, who will evaluate each applicant on academic performance and professional goals.

 

Non-curricular Requirements

Swimming competency; Outdoor experiences as outlined in TR Program manual; current certification for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), First Aid (FA), Bloodborne Pathogens

Pre-requisite Requirements for Graduate School in Occupational Therapy

In addition to completing the major, the graduate program in Occupational Therapy at WSSU requires the following courses.  Other programs may have other requirements so those should be researched.

BIO 2111 Anatomy and Physiology I lab

BIO 2312 Anatomy and Physiology II and BIO 2112 lab

MAT 2326 Elementary Statistics (or another statistics class)

SOC 2301 General Sociology or Anthropology course

TRC 3320 Occupational Therapy Prep

 

#NOTE regarding certification and licensure following Leadership in Recreation—Non Licensure depth of study

Requirements to Sit for the CTRS Exam for Licensure for the State of North Carolina

Academic Path

A student who wants to return to WSSU to obtain the requirements for eligibility for licensure may take these classes as a non-degree seeking student to be eligible: TRC 4301 Professional Preparation; TRC 4303 Advanced TR; TRC 0122 Internship in TR and any courses in the Breadth outside the major not taken for the initial degree.

 

Equivalency Path A

The eligibility requirements to take the CTRS exam are a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited college or university verified by an official transcript and the following:

1. A minimum of 18 semester hours of therapeutic recreation and general recreation content coursework with no less than a minimum of 15 semester hours in therapeutic recreation content. A minimum of five (5) courses in therapeutic recreation is required and each course must be a minimum of three (3) credit hours. Two (2) of the required therapeutic recreation courses may be taught by the applicant as a full-time educator.  Content specific therapeutic recreation coursework is recommended as part of the NCTRC professional eligibility requirements. Specific course content in the following areas: a) Assessment; b) TR Process; and c) Advancement of the Profession is highly recommended but not required for eligibility.

2. Supportive courses to include a minimum of 24 semester hours in the content areas of social sciences and humanities.

3. A minimum of five (5) years of full-time paid work experience in therapeutic recreation services that uses the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis. Applicants who possess a graduate degree in therapeutic recreation need a minimum of three (3) years of full-time paid work experience in therapeutic recreation services that uses the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.