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

https://chhs.unh.edu/recreation-management-policy/program/ms/recreation-management-policy-recreation-administration

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.

Required Core Competencies
RMP 800Concepts of Recreation and Leisure3
RMP 806Recreation Administration and Organizational Behavior3
Required Research Competencies
RMP 992Research Methods in Recreation Management and Policy3
or RMP 824 Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions
SW 962Data Analysis and Statistics3
or EDUC 881 Introduction to Statistics: Inquiry, Analysis, and Decision Making
Capstone - Choose Thesis or Porfolio Track 1
Thesis Track:
Master's Thesis
and 4 additional Elective Courses
Portfolio Track:
Capstone Seminar
and 5 additional Elective Courses
Electives
Select RMP elective courses from the following:12-18
Recreation Resource Management
Adaptive Sport Facilitation for Recreation Therapy and Related Professions
Law and Public Policy in Leisure Services
Entrepreneurial and Commercial Recreation
Non-Profit Administration and Leadership
Fund Development and Grantwriting
Graduate Internship
Teaching Practicum
Independent Study
Elective Courses (outside RMP Dept): 2
Marketing Research
Marketing/Building Customer Value
Economics of Competition
Creating Winning Strategies
Health Content and Youth Risk Behaviors
Athletic Administration
Social Issues in Contemporary Sports
Advanced Topics in Coaching
Psychological Factors in Sport
Introduction to Adapted Physical Education
Environmental Health
Social and Behavioral Health
Public Health Economics
Policy and Practice of Community Health Assessment
Social Impact Assessment
Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice
1

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

2

This is not an all inclusive list.

This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.

General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.

Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.

  • 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.