General Guidelines
Guide and information about the four year Bachelors of Science degree in Recreational Therapy including current classes and which semester we recommend taking them, advising information, and application requirements.
PRINT THE 2021-2022 RT DEGREE PLAN AS A PDF
Recreational Therapy Bachelors Degree Plan
- A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA required prior to enrolling in RECTH 3330 and RECTH 4300.
- RECTH 3330 and RECTH 4300 must be taken concurrently.
- 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 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 completed and recorded in CastleBranch 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.
| Course # | Course Name | Credit Hours |
| RECREATIONAL THERAPY REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| RECTH 3330 | Foundations of Recreational Therapy | 3 |
| RECTH 4300 | Recreational Therapy and Indiv with Intellectual Disabilities | 3 |
| RECTH 3360 | Assessment, Documentation and Eval in Recreation Therapy | 4 |
| RECTH 4310 | Recreational Therapy and Older Adults | 3 |
| RECTH 4320 | Recreational Therapy and Physical Medicine | 3 |
| RECTH 5360 | Techniques and Facilitation in Recreational Therapy | 3 |
| RECTH 4330 | Recreational Therapy and Mental Health Services | 3 |
| RECTH 5300 | Management in Recreational Therapy | 3 |
| RECTH 5350 | Advancement of Recreational Therapy Clinical and Prof Analysis | 3 |
| RECTH 5828 | Recreational Therapy Internship | 12 |
| Sub-Total | 40 | |
| REQUIRED SUPPORTIVE COURSE WORK | ||
| BIOL 2325 AND BIOL 2420 |
Human Anatomy AND Human Physiology (AS) |
4 4 |
| OR H EDU 4650 |
Anat and Phys for Health | 4 |
| KINES 3092 OR KINES 3550 |
Kinesiology OR Motor Behavior |
3 |
| FCS 1500 OR NURS 2100 |
Human Development/Lifespan | 3 |
| PSY 2300 | Psych of Abnormal Behavior | 3 |
|
SOC 3112 |
Social Stats (QB & QI) |
4 |
| PRT 5395 | Financial Management (QI) | 3 |
| ALTERNATE HEALTH CARE COURSE (take one) | ||
| H EDU 5100 OR H EDU 3050 OR H EDU 5300 OR SOC 3671 OR FCS 5430 OR DISAB 3000 |
Health Care in the USA OR Community Health Issues OR Diversity and Health (DV & CW) OR Sociology of Health OR Families, Consumers & Health OR Intro to Disabilities Studies (DV) |
3 |
| ELECTIVE COURSE(S) | ||
|
Must take at least 3 credits (Social Science or Humanities). The class will need to contribute to understanding of health and human services and/or reinforce the students’ area of specialization. If supportive course work is less than 26 credits, additional electives will be added to enhance supportive coursework hours. Course options from FCS, GERON, H EDU, NUTR, PHIL, PRT, PSY, SOC, SP ED, cultural focus. Students may wish to consider a minor or a certificate (https://advising.utah.edu/majors/quick-look/index.php) to enhance their recreational therapy curriculum. |
3 | |
| Sub-Total | 26 or 30 | |
| Total Credits for Major | 66 | |
Transfer Courses
Students may transfer supportive courses to the University of Utah to fill major requirements. 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.
Recreational Therapy Supportive Courses Transfer Guide (PDF) Updated Oct2021
We are unable to accept RT/TR courses from other schools to fill our major requirements.
Sample Semester Plan
Junior Year / Fall - 14 Credits
RECTH 3330 Foundations of Recreational Therapy, 3 Cr.
RECTH 4300 Recreational Therapy and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, 3 Cr.
BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy (prerequisite: BIOL 1610), 4 Cr.
SOC 3112 Social Stats (QB & QI) FCS 3210 FCS Stats (QB & QI) OR PSY 3000 Psychological Stats (QB & QI), 4 Cr.
Junior Year / Spring - 14 Credits
RECTH 3360 Assessment, Documentation and Evaluation in Recreational Therapy, 4 Cr.
RECTH 4310 Recreational Therapy and Older Adults, 3 Cr.
BIOL 2420 Human Physiology (AS) (Prerequisite: CHEM 1130 and BIOL 1610), 4 Cr.
FCS 1500 OR NURS 2100 Human Development/Lifespan, 3 Cr.
Senior Year / Fall - 15 Credits
KINES 3092 Kinesiology (prerequisite: BIOL 2325) OR KINES 3550 Motor Behavior, 3 Cr.
PRT 5395 Financial Management (QI), 3 Cr.
RECTH 4320 Recreational Therapy and Physical Medicine, 3 Cr.
RECTH 5350 Advancement of Recreational Therapy Clinical and Professional Analysis, 3 Cr.
RECTH 5360 Techniques and Facilitation in Recreational Therapy, 3 Cr.
Senior Year / Spring - 15 Credits
PSY 2300 Psychology of Abnormal Behavior, 3 Cr.
RECTH 4330 Recreational Therapy and Mental Health Services, 3 Cr.
RECTH 5300 Management in Recreational Therapy, 3 Cr.
Elective (may fulfill CW, DV, IR), 3 Cr.
Alternate health care class on approved list: 3 Cr.
H EDU 5100 Health Care in the USA OR H EDU 3050 Community Health Issues OR H EDU 5300 Diversity and Health (DV & CW) OR SOC 3671 Sociology of Health OR FCS 5430 Families, Consumers, and Health OR 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.
The following requirements must be completed prior to embarking on a clinical experience in RECTH 4300.
CPR Certification
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.
Criminal Background Checks
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.
Immunizations
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, 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 get their desired sites;
- they will not to any medical facility; and,
- they may have to delay their graduation, in order to ensure that they get the variety of sites required to meet accreditation requirements.
Health Insurance Verification
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.
