Recreational Therapy (BS) Degree Plan
Recreational Therapy Required Courses | 45 Credits
- RECTH 3330 - Foundations of Recreational Therapy
- RECTH 4300 - Recreational Therapy and Indiv with Intellectual Disabilities
- RECTH 3360 - Assessment, Documentation and Eval in Recreation Therapy
- RECTH 4310 - Recreational Therapy and Older Adults
- RECTH 4320 - Recreational Therapy and Physical Medicine
- RECTH 5360 - Techniques and Facilitation in Recreational Therapy
- RECTH 4330 - Recreational Therapy and Mental Health Services
- RECTH 5300 - Management in Recreational Therapy
- RECTH 5350 - Advancement of Recreational Therapy Clinical and Prof Analysis
- RECTH 5828 - Recreational Therapy Internship
Required Supportive Course Work | 22-27 Credits
- BIOL 2325 - Human Anatomy AND BIOL 2420 Human Physiology (LS) OR H EDU 4650 Anat and Phys for Health
- KINES 3092 - Kinesiology OR KINES 3550 Motor Behavior
- FCS 1500 OR NURS 2100 - Human Development/Lifespan (BF)
- PSY 2300 - Adult Clinical Psychology OR ED PS 3500 - Psychopathology
- MATH 1040 (QL) OR SOC 3112 OR FCS 3210 OR PSY 3000 - Statistics
- PRT 5395 - Financial Management (QI)
ALTERNATE HEALTH CARE COURSE (take one):
- H EDU 5300 - Diversity and Health (DV & CW)
- H EDU 5100 - Health Care in the USA
- H EDU 3050 - Community Health Issues
- SOC 3671 - Sociology of Health
- FCS 5430 - Families, Consumers & Health
- DISAB 3000 - Intro to Disabilities Studies (DV)
RECTH 3330 and RECTH 4300 requirements:
- A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA required prior to enrolling in RECTH 3330 and RECTH 4300.
- The Recreational Therapy Program requires that students complete compliance requirements which include a criminal background check, BLS certification, immunizations and proof of health insurance within the first two weeks of the semester. A complete list can be found below.
RECTH 5828 requirements:
- RECTH courses may only be attempted twice. If minimum grade is not earned on second attempt, contact the RT academic advisor.
- A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA required prior to enrolling in RECTH 5828.
- All compliance requirements must be up to date prior or enrolling in RECTH 5828.
- All RECTH course work must be successfully completed with a grade of C or better prior to enrollment in RECTH 5828.
- All supportive coursework must be completed with a C or better prior to enrollment in RECTH 5828.
- All university graduation requirements - including any minor coursework - must be completed prior to RECTH 5828.
Transfer Courses
Students may transfer supportive courses to the University of Utah to fill major requirements. We are unable to accept RT/TR courses from other schools to fill our major requirements. Completing a portfolio to obtain credit for prior professional work is not an option for students in the recreational therapy major.
Please note: Some of these courses may have prerequisites. It is the students responsibility to ensure that the local institution's course requirements are met prior to enrolling in these classes.
Sample Semester Plan
Junior Year
Junior Year | Fall - 15 Credits
RECTH 3330 - Foundations of Recreational Therapy, 3 Cr.
RECTH 4300 - Recreational Therapy and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, 4 Cr.
BIOL 2325 - Human Anatomy (prerequisite: BIOL 1610), 4 Cr.
MATH 1040 (QL) OR SOC 3112 OR FCS 3210 OR PSY 3000 - Statistics, 3-4 Cr.
Junior Year | Spring - 15 Credits
RECTH 3360 - Assessment, Documentation and Evaluation in Recreational Therapy, 4 Cr.
RECTH 4310 - Recreational Therapy and Older Adults, 4 Cr.
BIOL 2420 - Human Physiology (LS) (Prerequisite: CHEM 1130 and BIOL 1610), 4 Cr.
FCS 1500 OR NURS 2100 - Human Development/Lifespan (BF), 3 Cr.
Senior Year
Senior Year | Fall - 17 Credits
RECTH 4320 - Recreational Therapy and Physical Medicine, 4 Cr.
RECTH 5350 - Advancement of Recreational Therapy Clinical and Professional Analysis, 3 Cr.
RECTH 5360 - Techniques and Facilitation in Recreational Therapy, 4 Cr.
KINES 3092 - Kinesiology (prerequisite: BIOL 2325) OR KINES 3550 Motor Behavior, 3 Cr.
PRT 5395 - Financial Management (QI), 3 Cr.
Senior Year | Spring - 16 Credits
RECTH 4330 - Recreational Therapy and Mental Health Services, 4 Cr.
RECTH 5300 - Management in Recreational Therapy, 3 Cr.
PSY 2300 - Adult Clinical Psychology, 3 Cr.
Course to fill IR or other graduation requirement, 3 Cr.
Alternate health care class on approved list: 3 Cr.
- H EDU 5100 - Health Care in the USA
- H EDU 3050 - Community Health Issues
- H EDU 5300 - Diversity and Health (DV & CW)
- SOC 3671 - Sociology of Health
- FCS 5430 - Families, Consumers, and Health
- DISAB 3000 - Disabilities Studies (DV)
Senior Year | Summer - 12 Credits
RECTH 5828 - Recreational Therapy Internship, 12 Cr.
CLINICAL ROTATIONS
To bring practical/hands-on experience and to further emphazise the course content, RECTH 4300, 4310, 4320 and 4330 each have 40 hours of required clinical rotation time. Typically, students can expect to complete 4 hours a week for 10 weeks during the semester. These hours must be completed as outlined in the syllabus in order to successfully pass the course. If a student does not complete all of the assigned hours, the highest grade the student can receive is a C- for the course.
Additional Requirements
The following requirements must be completed prior to embarking on a clinical experience in RECTH 4300.
All students enrolled in RECTH courses are required to be certified in CPR. The certification must be from the American Heart Association (AHA), Basic Life Support (BLS). We do not accept CPR from the American Red Cross. Students may do an online class but MUST complete in-person practical skills session. CPR certification must be completed prior to a student embarking on a clinical experience.
All Health Science students are required to obtain a criminal background check. Recreational Therapy students must secure a criminal background check by the second week of enrollment in RECTH 4300. No student will be allowed to begin clinical rotation hours without a cleared criminal background check. Student will enter their CastleBranch account to complete the 3-step criminal background process. (See Appendix B). If a student has a criminal offense that could prohibit their clinical placement or their ability to be state licensed or nationally certified the Clinical Education Coordinator, RT (CEC-RT) will meet with the student and discuss possible options. If the student has a criminal offense that may prohibit their ability to complete specific functions required at their assigned clinical placement i.e. motor vehicle infractions, the CEC-RT will discuss this with the student and must disclose this information to the agency.
The University of Utah requires all students show proof of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunization prior to admission. However, many health care facilities will require proof of additional immunizations such as Varicella (Chickenpox), Hepatitis B, COVID or Influenza. You may also be required to complete a Tuberculous (TB) screening or provide proof of Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap) that has been completed within the past 10 years. If these additional immunizations are required, students will need this completed two months prior to the beginning of the internship.
Students who claim an exemption to immunizations must know that:
- There are a limited number of sites who will allow unvaccinated individuals to participate in any activities
- They may not receive their desired sites
- They will not be allowed into any medical facility
- They may have to delay their graduation, in order to ensure that they get the variety of sites required to meet accreditation requirements
Recreational Therapy students must have health insurance prior to engaging in clinical rotations. Insurance can be the student’s personal health insurance plan or health insurance through a parent/guardian’s plan.
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