Curriculum
Therapeutic Recreation at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers two distinct graduate programs. One is designed for students with a bachelors degree in therapeutic recreation and already are eligible to take the certification examination of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation (NCTRC). The other program is designed for students who do not have an undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Recreation and need additional course and experiences to qualify for the NCTRC certification examination. The program requires 30-36 credits of graduate-level work.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the graduate curriculum, students without a background in therapeutic recreation may have to take undergraduate courses. These may be taken prior to beginning the graduate program or taken at the same time as a student is taking his or her graduate courses. Upon admissions, the graduate program director will determine which undergraduate deficiency courses are required. Undergraduate courses for the Masters degree program in Therapeutic Recreation are:
| RTH 250 | Introduction to Therapeutic Recreation | 3 credits | |
| RTH 326 or | Therapeutic Recreation Populations I or II | 3 credits | |
| RTH 327 | |||
| ESS 205 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 credits | |
| MTH 145 or | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 credits | |
| MTH 250 | |||
| PSY 212 | Life Span Development | 3 credits | |
| PSY 304 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 credits |
Required Courses
The following courses are required of all graduate students majoring in Therapeutic Recreation
| REC 701 | Philosophical Foundations of Leisure, Play, and Recreation | 3 credits | |
| REC 710 | Entrepreneurship in Recreation | 3 credits | |
| REC 711 | Management of Leisure Services Organizations | 3 credits | |
| EFN 730 or | Introduction to Research | 3 credits | |
| HED 706 | Research Tools and Processes | ||
| RTH 593 | Therapeutic Recreation Trends and Issues | 3 credits | |
| RTH 730 | Advanced Clinic Aspects in TR | 3 credits |
Additionally students without a therapeutic recreation background must also take the following courses:
| RTH 556 | Program Design and Administration of TR | 3 credits | |
| RTH 570 | Facilitation Techniques in TR | 3 credits | |
| RTH 576 | Assessment and Treatment Planning in TR | 3 credits | |
| RTH 580 | Leisure Education | 3 credits | |
| RTH 700 | Internship in Therapeutic Recreation* | 6 credits |
*all students who did not complete a therapeutic recreation
internship as
an undergraduate must complete an internship as a graduate student
Graduate Program Options: Thesis, Project, or Internship
Every graduate student must culminate his or her program with one of the following:
| Option A - Thesis | Credits | |
| REC 799 Research: Master’s Thesis | 6 | |
| Option B - Graduate Project | Credits | |
| REC 761 Graduate Project in Recreation | 6 | |
| Option C - Comprehensive Examination | ||
The comprehensive exam is a series of essay questions bringing together the individual student’s course of study.
