Recreation Management and Policy: Therapeutic Recreation Administration (M.S.)
Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the Recreation Management and Policy: Therapeutic 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 Therapeutic Recreation Administration option prepares advanced personnel for administrative responsibilities in clinical-based practice & administrative leadership in community-based recreation services that meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. Graduate education serves Therapeutic Recreation Specialists who wish to move into administrative positions such as supervisor/manager/director, senior therapist, treatment coordinator, assisted-living manager, and senior center supervisor.
A specialization in community-based TR is also available through our partnership with Northeast Passage, including coursework and practice experiences related to in-home/community health promotion programming, TR service delivery in the school system, and adaptive sports (recreational and competitive).
Students without an academic or clinical background in therapeutic recreation may use the M.S. program to satisfy the academic requirements for the national credentialing examination used by the National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) and for New Hampshire state licensure. While the graduate program does not require prerequisite courses to qualify for admission, the credentialing examination does require coursework outside the M.S. curriculum requirements and the department requires leveling coursework upon acceptance to the M.S. program.
Degree Requirements
The 30 credit Therapeutic Recreation Administration option consists of required and elective coursework. In consultation with a faculty adviser, students will select either a thesis or portfolio track. Full-time students with a TR undergraduate degree take up to two years to progress through the degree requirements; full-time students without a TR undergrad degree need more than two years. Part-time students 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 | 3-4 |
| or EDUC 881 | Introduction to Statistics: Inquiry, Analysis, and Decision Making | |
| Capstone | ||
| Select Thesis or Portfolio Track | ||
Thesis Track: | ||
| Master's Thesis | ||
and 4 additional Elective Courses | ||
Portfolio Track: | ||
| Capstone Seminar | ||
and 5 additional Elective Courses | ||
| Elective Courses 1 | ||
| Select 12-18 credits of elective coursework. | ||
| (RMP Dept Courses) | ||
| Recreation Resource Management | ||
| Adaptive Sport Facilitation for Recreation Therapy and Related Professions | ||
| Therapeutic Recreation Service Delivery in Community Settings | ||
| 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 2 | ||
| (courses outside RMP Dept) | ||
| Families, Schools, and Community | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Race, Class, Gender, and Families | ||
| Children, Adolescents and the Law | ||
| Families and the Law | ||
| Theoretical Approaches to Human Development and Family Studies | ||
| Health Content and Youth Risk Behaviors | ||
| Introduction to Adapted Physical Education | ||
| Clinical Nutrition | ||
| Critical Issues in Nutrition | ||
| Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance | ||
| Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance Lab | ||
| Using iPads to Support Children with Disabilities | ||
| Public Health Care Systems | ||
| Social and Behavioral Health | ||
| Public Health Administration | ||
| Public Health Policy | ||
| Public Health Ethics | ||
| Public Health Law and Negotiation | ||
| Public Health Economics | ||
| Policy and Practice of Community Health Assessment | ||
RAM 867 | ||
| Child and Adolescent Risks and Resiliency: Program, Policy and Practice | ||
| Social Welfare Policy I | ||
| Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice | ||
| Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | ||
| Adventure Therapy: Facilitation and Processing of the Experience | ||
| Special Topics in Social Work and Social Welfare | ||
- 1
Thesis track choose 4 electives; Porfolio track choose 5 electives. Both track may also choose electives outside Dept.
- 2
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.
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.
Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures
The University of New Hampshire offers a number of academic programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in New Hampshire. However, completing a UNH degree/program does not guarantee professional licensure or certification. Eligibility may also depend on factors like years of work experience, professional examinations, passing a background check, and other criteria.
UNH does not guarantee that its professional licensure programs will satisfy the criteria of professional licensure boards in other states. Some states maintain different requirements for professional licensure or certification and requirements can change frequently. Federal regulations require the University to make public disclosure of certain information regarding professional licensure or certification programs, regardless of the modality the program is offered (i.e., in-person or online). The University provides guidance below but recommends students contact their state/territory licensing or certification board to ensure a program meets specific state/territory requirements.
Visit the Office of the Registrar's website for information about whether this program meets professional licensure requirements in your state.