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Recreation and Leisure Studies Department 



Recreation, leisure and sports represent the largest industry in the world. More people are engaged in recreation, leisure and sports than ever before as awareness of the healthful benefits of recreational choices become more widely accepted and documented. Billions of dollars are spent annually and millions of people daily seek to improve the quality of their lives, boost their physical, emotional and mental health and fitness by engaging in pursuits of their choice that express their preferences for the life activities they want. 

Professionals trained in recreation, leisure, sports, and tourism work in a variety of settings: community agencies, federal, state and local government agencies, state and federal parks, private commercial enterprises, sports and youth development organizations, not-for-profit organizations, hospitals and rehabilitation settings, as well as travel, hospitality and entertainment venues. Degreed professionals work with children, adults, families and communities to assure that the lives of people are enhanced and that the benefits of recreation, in many forms, are available to all who seek them and are offered by well-trained staff prepared to meet the challenges presented.

 

Students graduating from this program will:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the scope of the profession, professional practice, and the historical, scientific, and philosophical foundations of the relevant recreation, sport, travel or human services industry.
  2. Demonstrate effective, efficient and ethical leadership in the recreation, sport, travel or human services fields.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate, recreation, sport, travel and human service offerings facilitating targeted human experiences that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
  4. Demonstrate entry-level knowledge about management/administration of recreation, sport, travel and human services offerings.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to use diverse, structured ways of thinking to solve problems related to different facts of professional practice, engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.
  6. Demonstrate overall competencies in concentration areas and preparedness for entry level careers in the recreation, therapeutic recreation, sport, travel, or human services fields.



Undergraduate

Undergraduate Recreation and Leisure Studies students choose from one of the following concentrations: 


Therapeutic Recreation
Community Recreation and Youth Development
Travel and Tourism
Sports Management


Graduate

The Master of Science degree program in recreation and leisure studies is designed to prepare students for supervision, administration, and management of recreation programs and park facilities. Graduate students choose to specialize in one of the following areas:

Therapeutic Recreation
Recreation Administration

The specialization program in recreation administration will qualify graduates for certification by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The specialization program in therapeutic recreation can be designed to meet certification requirements of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

 



Location


The offices of the Recreation & Leisure Studies Department are located on the west side of the campus in Office Building 1 (OB 1), near the corner of Wintergreen and Farnham, next to Granoff Medical Building and the SCSU Police Department and across the street from the Wintergreen Building. The main number for the offices is (203) 392-6388. The department secretary is Gale Massimino.