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Bachelor of Science

According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), recreational therapy or therapeutic recreation is “a treatment service designed to restore, remediate  and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence in life activities, to promote health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the activity limitations and restrictions to participation in life situations caused by an illness or disabling condition.” Recreational therapists work with clients to restore motor, social and cognitive functioning, build confidence, develop coping skills, and integrate skills learned in treatment settings into community settings. Intervention areas vary widely and are based upon client interests. Examples of intervention modalities include creative arts (e.g., crafts, music, dance, drama, among others), sports, adventure programming, dance/movement, and leisure education. 

A student majoring in therapeutic recreation will typically work with individuals to improve functioning by engaging them in the activities they love. As a health care profession, recreation therapy provides career opportunities to serve people with disabling conditions through a variety of leisure activities by maximizing their opportunities to participate in their communities, and thus impacting their overall quality of life. Graduates may find full-time, professional positions in long-term care settings, rehabilitation facilities, children’s hospitals, substance abuse centers, psychiatric facilities, parks and recreation districts, as well as camp and wilderness settings. In order for a student to work as a Recreation Therapist, they must take the national exam to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), which is administered by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC). The NCTRC is the primary credential employers require of recreation therapist. The curriculum at Aurora University was designed to prepare students to take the national exam to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Therapeutic Recreation Core Courses
REC-2250	Therapeutic Recreation for Selected Populations	4
REC-2400	Recreation as a Therapeutic Intervention	4
REC-3335	Therapeutic Recreation Programming	4
REC-3340	Assessment and Documentation in Therapeutic Recreation	4
REC-3520	Facilitation Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation	4
REC-4360	Administration of Therapeutic Recreation	4
REC-4800	Therapeutic Recreation Internship	12
Required Support Courses
BIO-2650	Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology	4
PSY-1100	General Psychology	4
PSY-3250	Lifespan Development	4
PSY-3660	Psychological Disorders	4
Total Credits		52

Suggested Elective Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
BIO-1100	Medical Terminology	2
CSD-1010	Introduction to American Sign Language	4
HAS-3600	Animal Assisted Therapy	4

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
2. Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
   • At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
   • Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
   • Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
3. Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
   • Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
   • ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
   • IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
   • IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
   • Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
   • Distribution Requirements
     Students will complete one approved course¹ from each of the following categories:
     • Artistic Literacy
     • Cultural Literacy
     • Human Inquiry
     • Scientific Inquiry

In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course¹ from the following category:

• Discovery and Reflection

¹

Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses  for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:

• An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
• Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.

Learning Outcomes

1. Disability Awareness:
   • Students will demonstrate an understanding of different disability types.
   • Students will be able demonstrate and understanding of how to create environmental adaptations to support inclusion.
   • Students will be able to name different therapeutic recreation modalities beneficial to disability types.
   • Students will be able to demonstrate empathy, thus helping to understand the foundational underpinnings for therapeutic recreation services.
2. Assessment:
   • Students will be able to recognize the different therapeutic recreation standardized assessment tools.
   • Students will be able to effectively utilize non-standardized assessments to determine a therapeutic recreation plan.
3. Plan:
   • Students will be able to effectively plan a therapeutic recreation program.
4. Implement:
   •  Students will be able to effectively implement a therapeutic recreation program based on goals and objectives utilizing an activity analysis for needed modifications.
5. Evaluate:
   • Students will be able to evaluate client/participant outcomes based on goals and objectives for a therapeutic recreation program.
6. Documentation:
   • Students will be able to demonstrate effective S.O.A.P charting.
   • Students will be able to demonstrate use of narrative documentation in relation to goal and objective attainment.