The major in Recreation & Leisure Studies is focused on the systematic study of leisure, recreation, and play related phenomena, including human behavior arnd development, resource use, social issues, and public policy. The major provides unique educational experiences of high quality and a student-oriented learning environment that lays a foundation to promote lifelong learning, effective human relation skills, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and creativity.

Students in the program will be prepared to work in a variety of settings - treatment, business, public parks and recreation, and voluntary recreation agencies. The primary purpose of the major is to prepare ethical professionals who understand the relationship among knowledge, skills, attitude, and behavior. The major also promotes the physical, mental, and social well-being of the members of the college and the surrounding community. The graduates from the major will be capable of providing leadership and dealing with changing social values, knowledge, and attitudes as they apply to the dynamic field of recreation and leisure.

The major currently offers concentrations in Therapeutic Recreation, Leisure Management, and Sports Management.  Consult the College Catalog for program requirements.

• To understand the scientific and philosophical bases of leisure, recreation, and play.
• To develop the ability to plan, organize, supervise, evaluate, and interpret various aspects of
  balanced leisure, recreation, and play programs.
• To understand the social, political, cultural issues in leisure, recreation, and play.
• To develop the ability to apply principles of learning and to utilize materials and equipment
  specific to the field in the leisure, recreation, and play.
• To develop the ability to apply scientific principles to the learning process when working with
  special populations.
• To enhance professional development through interaction with faculty, alumni, practitioners, and
  to encourage participation in professional organization.
• To demonstrate an understanding of principles of leadership and to foster the ability to apply
  them in work settings, including teamwork and group processes.
• To develop critical thinking and program solving skills.
   

The Therapeutic Recreation concentration prepares students to work with people with physical disabilities, emotional disturbances, mental disorders, chemical dependencies, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and dual diagnosis populations.  The junior and senior level courses require students to do field work in the surrounding communities.  The final course, Therapeutic Recreation Internship, requires students to perform 480 hours of service in any of over 125 official sites that the College has established in the tri-state area.  Our students are well prepared to incorporate class work into practice upon completion of this program, which is certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation.

Individuals completing this curriculum will be eligible for the National Certification Examination and will be eligible for employment as Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS) in community and residential settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, developmental learning centers, nursing homes, senior centers, and camps serving people with disabilities, and so forth.  In 2000, Newsweek magazine listed the field of Therapeutic Recreation as one of the top 15 growing professions in the United States.

Objectives in Therapeutic Recreation

1. To understand the customs and practices of recreation in other nations and cultures.
2. To promote multi-cultural skills as they relate to the leisure needs of a particular society.
3. To understand and apply the new technologies to the field of recreation and leisure.
4. To encourage participation by students in professional organizations for the purposes of fostering
   the specialist within the field via networking and keeping abreast with the most recent trends.
5. To establish productive, cooperative, effective, and professional working relationships with
   peers, more senior levels of management, and other departments, vendors, clients, and
   consultants.
6. To understand current social issues and trends and their implications for recreation, leisure, play,
   and therapeutic recreation.
7. To understand basic medical terminology.
8. To understand the nature and etiology of disabling conditions.
9. To understand the variety attitudes towards illnesses and disabilities and their relationship to
   human behavior and interpersonal relationships.
10. To understand the roles, functions, and processes of interdisciplinary relationships and team
    planning and evaluating.
11. To enhance the ability to utilize a variety of techniques designed to interpret therapeutic
    recreation to clients, colleagues, and the public through in-service and community educational
    programming.

The Major in Recreation and Leisure leads to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and requires 36 credit hours of study.  All students must also complete the College Core composed of a selection of English, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Fine Arts, Music, Communication Arts and Foreign Language courses as well as courses in Mathematics, Science, Computer Information Science, and History.  A series of Free Electives courses round out the 120 credits required for the degree.

• R/L 101    Foundations of Recreation and Leisure
  
• R/L 103    Health and Physical Fitness
  
• R/L 120    Sports in America

Intermediate Level (200)

• R/L 202    Coaching: Principles and Procedures
  
• R/L 214    Sports Psychology (may be taken as PSYC 214)

Upper Division Level (300/400)

• R/L 300* Special Topics in Recreation and Leisure
  
• R/L 301* Leadership and Supervision of Recreation
  
• R/L 302* Therapeutic Recreation for Special Populations
  
• R/L 305 Sports Management
  
• R/L 306 Leisure Education
  
• R/L 309 Therapeutic Recreation in Gerontology
  
• R/L 344 Therapeutic Recreation: Methods, Materials, and Process
  
• R/L 401* Organizing/Administering Recreation & Leisure Services
  
• R/L 402* Therapeutic Recreation: Principles and Practices
  
• R/L 403* Therapeutic Recreation Techniques
  
• R/L 410* Recreation and Leisure Practicum (3 credits)
  
• R/L 411* Internship in Therapeutic Recreation (9 credits) (Register no later than Fall of senior year. Not offered during any special session.)

*  Courses marked thus require fieldwork outside of the classroom.