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.
TR Program Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- summarize relevant concepts and theories. [history, philosophy, play, recreation, leisure]
- relate behavioral knowledge to human function. [culture, diagnoses, etc.]
- illustrate best practices for human service providers. [professionalism, models of service delivery, role and function of human service provider, legal/regulations, SOP, professional involvement]
- authentically assess individuals and communities.
- design various plans for effective service provision.
- implement person-centered programs and services.
- explain concepts and procedures related to management.
- demonstrate the ability to think critically and to solve problem. [evaluation, research]
- demonstrate the ability to communication effectively. [oral, written]
- apply knowledge, skills, and abilities in structured authentic situations.
Major Requirements
Students generally complete TRC 1305 - Living Well! Benefits of Leisure for People with Disabilities, TRC 1307 - “Play It Like You Mean It!”: Analysis and Application of Recreation Activities, TRC 1311 - Leisure and Society, PSY 3306 - Abnormal Psychology, PSY 2336 - Lifespan Development (pre-requisite PSY 1301 - Introduction to the Psychological Sciences for both), and BIO 2311 - Anatomy and Physiology I (pre-requisite BIO 1313 - General Biology I) 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 3.0 to qualify for the OT Option. In addition to other required TR degree courses, students complete TRC 3320 - Occupational Therapy Prep 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 Courses
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.
Breadth Courses
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.
Breadth Courses _ Inside the Major
Breadth Courses_Outside the Major
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 Credits: 3 hrs
- PSY 2336 - Lifespan Development Credits: 3 hrs
- PSY 3306 - Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3 hrs
- 3 Approved Electives- See list of approved electives outside the major (published on RamPath)
- Behavioral Health Concentration only: 3 Approved Electives - See list of approved electives in Psychology to be published on RamPath (PSY 2308 – Psychology of Adjustment, 2316 – Drugs, Addiction & Behavior, 3316 – Principles of Psychological Testing, 4310 – Health Psychology, 4331 – Counseling Psychology)
- BIO 2311 - Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: 3 hrs
- PSY 2336 - Lifespan Development Credits: 3 hrs
- PSY 3306 - Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3 hrs
- 3 Approved Electives- See list of approved electives outside the major (published on RamPath)
- 3 Approved Electives for the Behavioral Health Concentration - See list of approved electives in Psychology to be published on RamPath (PSY 2308 – Psychology of Adjustment, 2316 – Drugs, Addiction & Behavior, 3316 – Principles of Psychological Testing, 4310 – Health Psychology, 4331 – Counseling Psychology)
Depth Areas & Courses
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 21 to 27 semester hours.
Leadership in Recreation Non Licensure
Honors Curriculum with Licensure
Total Credit Hours: 25 - 27
Honors Curriculum
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 - Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation (see website for dates each term). Admission to the honors curriculum is restricted to students who meet the following criteria.
- Complete TRC 2312 - Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation with a grade of B or higher
- Officially declared Therapeutic Recreation as their major
- A cumulative GPA of 3.4
- No grade lower than a B in any TR courses (possible one exception with a strong recommendation by a faculty member)
- Identification of a faculty mentor and a potential area of research
- 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.
PROFESSIONAL ELIGIBILITY – EQUIVALENCY PATH
Equivalency refers to an alternate route to certification based upon specific academic preparation and paid work experience.
The Equivalency Path eligibility requirements to take the CTRS examination are the following:
1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university verified by an official transcript.
2. Therapeutic Recreation Content Courses: A minimum of 18 semester or 24 quarter credit hours of Recreation Therapy/Therapeutic Recreation (RT/RT) content coursework. A minimum of six (6) courses in RT/TR is required and each course must be a minimum of three (3) credit hours. Two (2) of the required RT/TR courses may be taught by the applicant as an educator in a college/university/academic program. Educators may not enroll in their own courses to meet certification requirements.
3. Supportive Courses: A total of 18 semester hours or 24 quarter hours of support coursework with a minimum of:
(i) three (3) semester hours or four (4) quarter hours coursework in the content area of anatomy and physiology;
(ii) three (3) semester hours or four (4) quarter hours coursework in the content area of abnormal psychology; and
(iii) three (3) semester hours or four (4) quarter hours coursework in the content area of human growth and development across the lifespan.
The remaining semester hours or quarter hours of coursework must be fulfilled in the content areas of social sciences and humanities.
4. Professional Experience
a. A minimum of 5000 hours of paid work experience that uses the TR process, or
b. A minimum of 1500 hours of paid work experience that uses the TR process, under the supervision of a CTRS for at least 1 hour for every 10 hours worked each week. While onsite or direct supervision is strongly encouraged, NCTRC recognizes there may be applicants who are unable to receive onsite supervision with a CTRS. With current technology, there may be alternative effective models of supervision.
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