Recreation Management and Policy: Recreation Administration (M.S.)

Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the Recreation Management and Policy: Recreation Administration M.S. is pausing admissions to the program. Current students will continue to have access to the same high-quality education and resources until they graduate.

The Recreation Administration option prepares professionals with advanced knowledge and skills to plan, administer, and evaluate recreation and outdoor recreation programs and services across a variety of sectors, including: sports and fitness, community recreation, campus recreation, nonprofit administration, commercial recreation and events, tourism, camps, outdoor education, adventure programming, outdoor recreation, parks and protected areas, conservation, natural resources, and senior or youth-serving agencies. Postgraduate employment opportunities include working as leaders, directors, planners, and managers of agencies and programs that provide healthy recreation and outdoor activities for people across the lifespan.

Specializations are available in campus recreation, outdoor education, and leadership through our partnerships with UNH Campus Recreation and The Browne Center. A specialization is available in adaptive sports through our partnership with Northeast Passage.

Applied research opportunities are available through our Applied Recreation Research Collaborative (ARRC Lab), which provides public, private, and non-profit recreation resource managers and practitioners with data-driven solutions to inform decision-making and policy.

Degree Requirements

The 30 credit Recreation Administration option consists of required and elective coursework. In consultation with a faculty adviser, students will select either a capstone portfolio or thesis track. Full-time students typically take up to two years to progress through the RA option degree requirements. If a student takes leveling courses, they may need to complete more than two years. Part-time students may take longer to complete the degree.

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Thesis track choose 4 electives; Portfolio track choose 5 electives. Both tracks may also choose electives outside Dept.

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This is not an all inclusive list.

Accelerated Master's Overview

Accelerated Master’s programs offer qualified University of New Hampshire undergraduate students the opportunity to begin graduate coursework in select graduate programs while completing a bachelor’s degree. Accelerated master's programs are designed to provide students with an efficient and cost-effective pathway to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree or graduate certificate, enhancing career opportunities and long-term earning potential. 

Accelerated Master's Highlights

• Begin studying advanced topics while an undergraduate student with the opportunity to complete a master’s degree or graduate certificate early.
• Master’s degree program students: Earn up to 12* graduate (800-level) course credits while completing a bachelor’s degree. This coursework will count as dual-credit toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
• Graduate certificate program students: Earn up to 8* graduate (800-level) course credits while completing a bachelor’s degree. This coursework will count as dual-credit toward both the bachelor’s degree and the graduate certificate.
• Students complete the bachelor’s degree, and then officially matriculate into the master’s or graduate certificate program to complete the remaining required graduate-level coursework.

*Some exceptions apply. 

Accelerated Master's Admission Requirements

• A minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA is required.*
• A minimum of 90 undergraduate credits must be completed prior to enrolling in graduate (800-level) courses.
• Streamlined Graduate School Application (two letters of recommendation; most standardized tests and application fee are waived).*

*Some exceptions apply.

Accelerated Master's Requirements

• Students must attend a mandatory orientation session.
• Students must submit a special registration form each semester for dual-credit courses and note any DegreeWorks exceptions.
• Students may defer graduate matriculation for up to one year after earning their bachelor’s degree in most programs.
• See the Accelerated Master’s Catalog Policy and Accelerated Master’s Website for additional information and a list of programs. Note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher-grade expectations) compared to the general policy.

Recreation Management and Policy: Recreation Administration (M.S.) Accelerated Option

This graduate degree program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with the following undergraduate program(s): 

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will know the roles and interrelationships of diverse leisure service delivery systems, as well as professionalism in the discipline.
• Students will know and apply the psychological, sociological, and social psychological theories and philosophies associated with leisure and recreation behavior.
• Students will develop the ability to translate and apply relevant theory to park and recreation programs and services.
• Students will know the historical and cultural perspectives associated with the park and recreation field, and will apply issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion to park and recreation management.
• Students will apply financial, budgetary, planning, marketing, program evaluation, and human resource knowledge and skills to meet present and future organizational needs and challenges.
• Students will implement leadership skills that advance the park and recreation profession and broader society.
• Students will design and conduct research, analyze and interpret data, and apply research findings to the park and recreation profession.
• Students will explore the interrelationships of allied professions with the park and recreation profession.
• Students will know how to promote the benefits of recreation and leisure to enhance individual, social, economic, and environmental well-being and quality of life.
• Students will demonstrate effective conceptual and technical communication skills, both in oral and written form.