Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Recreation Therapy

University of Toledo

The University of Toledo offers the only Recreational Therapy program in Ohio. Our bachelor’s degree program - with its emphasis on hands-on education - has a proven record of success. Our students are highly engaged in the classroom and on campus. They graduate job-ready, with more than 800 hours of real-world experience. Our job placement rate is well above 90%. Our passage rate on the national certification exam is well above the national average. Recreation therapists design and implement treatment programs and recreation services to help people with illnesses or disabling conditions live healthier, more satisfying and independent lives. They assess and work with people who have mental, physical and emotional disabilities. recreational therapy majors in our bachelor’s degree program: Explore the therapeutic value of recreation and leisure interventions to assist individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions to enhance the quality of their lives. Learn a variety of therapeutic techniques and modalities (such as therapeutic arts, assistive technology, fitness, and horticulture) to help individuals gain functional skills, rehabilitate, and move toward independence. Through fieldwork experiences students learn to work with individuals across the lifespan and with a variety of conditions and disabilities to build their clinical skills in assessment, treatment planning, implementation, and documentation. Graduates are prepared to work in areas of physical rehabilitation, geriatric services, psychiatric and substance use recovery, pediatric services, camps for individuals with disabilities, Veterans hospitals, community treatment programs, and private practice settings. Recreational Therapy is a four-year program. In your first two years, you complete prerequisites and introductory recreation therapy courses. In your sophomore year, you apply for admittance into the two-year ''professional sequence'' of the program. Admission is competitive. In this portion of the program, you complete upper-level recreation therapy classes and gain professional clinical experience through internships. All Recreational Therapy courses are online, everything from your introductory courses to your upper-level classes. Clinical experiences are available all over the country for students who live outside of Toledo and choose to live at home their last two years. NOTE: You can earn a bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy entirely online, starting your freshman year. Or if you’ve already begun course work for a bachelor’s degree or have an associate’s degree in a related field, you also may be able to complete your degree in our recreation therapy program.

College of Health and Human Services