Recreation Management and Policy: Recreation Administration (M.S.)
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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Competencies | ||
| RMP 800 | Concepts of Recreation and Leisure | 3 |
| RMP 806 | Recreation Administration and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Required Research Competencies | ||
| RMP 992 | Research Methods in Recreation Management and Policy | 3 |
| or RMP 824 | Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions | |
| SW 962 | Data Analysis and Statistics | 3 |
| 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 | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 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.