Recreational Therapy, BS

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Total number of hours for the program: 120.

Declaration of a major in Recreational Therapy does not guarantee admission into the program. Students must formally apply and be admitted into the program before beginning the professional sequence of courses and/or proceeding into clinical placements. Students are expected to adhere not only to the technical and professional standards of the program but to the academic requirements below. For the most up-to-date information regarding these standards, program suspension, and termination refer to the Recreational program website linked from the School of Health Sciences.

Applying for Admission

Students are encouraged to apply for the major after having completed the RTH 200 course in their sophomore year. Admission to the Bachelor of Science degree requires completion of the application for new majors. The recreational therapy admission application is emailed to all pre-majors in advance of Advising Day in fall and spring semesters with submission information. Application to the program does not assure acceptance.

Minimum GPA Requirement: 2.5

Students admitted to the program must earn a grade of C or better in each RTH course in the major and must maintain an overall GPA of 2.50 to remain in the program. Visit the department’s website at https://www.wcu.edu/learn/departments-schools-colleges/HHS/healthsci/rth/index.aspx to view the eight-semester curriculum guide.

Liberal Studies (42 hours)

Liberal Studies Program Requirements

Note:

Six hours of the prerequisites will also meet Liberal Studies requirements. One course in Biology will partially meet C5 Liberal Studies requirements, and PSY 150 will partially fulfill the P1 requirement. Students are strongly urged to choose LS courses carefully to avoid taking additional courses for those requirements.

Major Requirements

Required Prerequisites: None

The major requires 71 hours as follows. Students should take all courses in the following list:

RTH 200 - Foundations of Recreational Therapy Credits: 3
RTH 350 - Recreational Therapy and People with Physical Disabilities Credits: 3
RTH 352 - Recreational Therapy Processes and Techniques Credits: 3
RTH 360 - Recreational Therapy Services for Older Adults Credits: 3
RTH 370 - Methods in Recreational Therapy Credits: 3
RTH 395 - Pre-Internship Seminar Credits: 1
RTH 401 - Client Assessment in Recreational Therapy Credits: 3
RTH 405 - Recreational Therapy in Behavioral Health Credits: 3
RTH 417 - Administration and Advancement of Recreation Therapy Services Credits: 3
RTH 470 - Adventure-Based Recreational Therapy Credits: 3
RTH 484 - Recreational Therapy Clinical Internship Credits: 6
RTH 485 - Recreational Therapy Clinical Internship Credits: 6
BIOL 291 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: 4
BIOL 292 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: 4
COUN 325 - Survey of Human Development Credits: 3
COUN 430 - Individual and Group Counseling Credits: 3
HEAL 250 - First Aid and Safety Education Credits: 2
HSCC 322 - Medical Terminology Credits: 3
PRM 270 - Leadership and Group Dynamics in Recreation Credits: 3
PSY 150 - General Psychology Credits: 3
PSY 470 - Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3

Students should select one course from the following:

HPE 225 - Applied Kinesiology II Credits: 4
HPE 235 - Motor Behavior Credits: 3
HPE 223 - Applied Kinesiology I - Anatomy, Physiology & Biomechanics Credits: 4

Electives

General electives (7-14 hours) are required to complete the program. The range of electives is contingent on the student’s completion of PSY 150 (3 credits) and BIOL 291 (4 credits) within the Liberal Studies Program. If the student does not complete PSY 150 and BIOL 291 within Liberal Studies requirements, the student will have only seven hours of electives available. To meet another university requirement, students must take 25 percent of all courses at WCU and at the junior-senior level.