-
Brent Bell
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR -
Nathan Fitch
SENIOR LECTURER -
Jennifer Frye
CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR -
Matthew Frye
CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR -
Jill Gravink
CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR -
Sean McLaughlin
LECTURER -
Jayson Seaman
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Recreation Management and Policy: Therapeutic Recreation Administration (M.S.)
Recreation Management and Policy: Therapeutic Recreation Administration (M.S.)

WHY GET A MASTER’S DEGREE IN THERAPEUTIC RECREATION ADMINISTRATION?
Completing a therapeutic recreation administration master’s degree will prepare you for advanced roles assisting a wide range of individuals requiring health services, including geriatric, mental health, addictions, physical medicine and rehabilitation, military and Veteran populations, developmental disabilities, pediatric clients and more. Our master’s program in therapeutic recreation administration will help you take the next step in your career, giving you a solid foundation in leisure theory, research, data analysis and administration. You’ll learn the skills needed to serve in positions such as supervisor, manager, director, senior therapist or treatment coordinator. A specialization in community-based therapeutic recreation is also available through our partnership with Northeast Passage.
WHY CHOOSE UNH’S THERAPEUTIC RECREATION ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM?
At UNH, you’ll find exceptional opportunities through our partnership with Northeast Passage, a nationally recognized therapeutic recreation and adaptive sports organization, affiliate of Move United, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. This specialization includes courses, fieldwork and research experiences in community-based health promotion programming, therapeutic recreation service delivery in the school system and adaptive sports. 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 through the National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) and for New Hampshire state licensure, as applicable.
POTENTIAL CAREER AREAS
- Behavioral health
- Community inclusion services
- Developmental disability services
- Military and veteran services
- Nonprofit organizations
- Older adult and geriatric services
- Pediatric and youth services
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Psychiatric services
- School systems
- Substance Use
Contact
Hewitt Hall, 4 Library Way
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: (603) 862-2391
Curriculum & Requirements
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 (http://www.nepassage.org), including coursework and practice experiences related to in-home/community health promotion programming, TR service delivery in the school system, and adaptive sports.
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 (http://www.nctrc.org) does require coursework outside the M.S. curriculum requirements and the department may require 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 non-thesis track. Full-time students with a TR undergraduate degree typically take two years to progress through the degree requirements; full-time students without a TR undergrad degree need more than two years. Part-time students typically complete the program in 3 years.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Core Competencies | ||
RMP 800 | Concepts of Recreation and Leisure | 3 |
RMP 805 | Management and Policy in Therapeutic Recreation (If student has undergrad in TR already, they will take RMP 806: Rec Admin & Org Beh) | 3 |
Required Research Competencies | ||
RMP 992 | Research Methods in Recreation Management and Policy | 3 |
SW 962 | Data Analysis and Statistics | 3 |
or EDUC 881 | Introduction to Statistics: Inquiry, Analysis, and Decision Making | |
Capstone Course (choose 1 track) | 6 | |
Thesis Track: | ||
RMP 899 | Master's Thesis (Sections I & II - 6 cr total) | |
Non-thesis Track: | ||
RMP 980 | Independent Study (counts as elective course for non-thesis track; can take twice) | |
RMP 995 | Colloquium Seminar | |
Elective Courses in RMP Dept (Thesis track takes 4 electives; Non-thesis track takes 5 electives. Both tracks may also take electives outside Dept) | 12 | |
RMP 806 | Recreation Administration and Organizational Behavior | |
RMP 811 | Recreation Resource Management | |
RMP 820 | Adaptive Sports and Recreation Facilitation | |
RMP 840 | Therapeutic Recreation Service Delivery in Community Settings | |
RMP 860 | Program Administration in Recreational Sport | |
RMP 872 | Law and Public Policy in Leisure Services | |
RMP 875 | Entrepreneurial and Commercial Recreation | |
RMP 912 | Non-Profit Administration and Leadership | |
RMP 924 | Fund Development and Grantwriting | |
RMP 964 | Graduate Internship | |
RMP 970 | Teaching Practicum | |
RMP 980 | Independent Study | |
Total Credits | 30 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Elective Options Outside of RMP Department (not an all-inclusive list): | ||
HDFS 843 | Families, Schools, and Community | |
HDFS 846 | Human Sexuality | |
HDFS 857 | Race, Class, Gender, and Families | |
HDFS 876 | Children, Adolescents and the Law | |
HDFS 894 | Families and the Law | |
HDFS 993 | Theoretical Approaches to Human Development and Family Studies | |
KIN 802 | Health Content and Youth Risk Behaviors | |
KIN 881 | Inclusion in Physical Education | |
KIN 882 | Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming | |
KIN 883 | Psych Factors of Adventure Ed | |
KIN 884 | Historical Foundations of Outdoor Experiential Education | |
NUTR 873 | Clinical Nutrition | |
NUTR 880 | Critical Issues in Nutrition | |
OT #822 | Introduction to Assistive Technology | |
OT #824 | Assistive Technology and Physical Disabilities | |
OT #826 | Assistive Technology and Sensory, Communicative, and Cognitive Disabilities | |
OT 830 | Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance | |
OT 830L | Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance Lab | |
OT 889 | Using iPads to Support Children with Disabilities | |
PHP 900 | Public Health Care Systems | |
PHP 904 | Social and Behavioral Health | |
PHP 905 | Public Health Administration | |
PHP 907 | Public Health Policy | |
PHP 908 | Public Health Ethics | |
PHP 912 | Public Health Law | |
PHP 922 | Public Health Economics | |
PHP 924 | Policy and Practice of Community Health Assessment | |
RAM 867 | Social Impact Assessment | |
SOC #880 | Social Conflict | |
SW 805 | Child and Adolescent Risks and Resiliency: Program, Policy and Practice | |
SW 814 | Introduction to Addiction: Assessment and Intervention | |
SW 820 | Social Welfare Policy I | |
SW 840 | Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice | |
SW 850 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | |
SW 865 | Adventure Therapy: Facilitation and Processing of the Experience | |
SW 897 | Special Topics in Social Work and Social Welfare |
- 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.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: Feb. 1 (for funding and GA application); March 15 (final)
- Spring: Nov. 1
- Summer: N/A
- Special: N/A
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: ME MA RI
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester and UNH Non-Degree work.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must request one official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. International transcripts must be translated into English. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts are required for any school you earned a degree from, attended for at least one year, or attended for 2 or more semesters. Exceptions to this rule may be approved at the discretion of the program you are applying to and the UNH Graduate School Admission’s office.
Letters of recommendation: 3 required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a careful statement regarding:
- Why are you choosing to pursue graduate work in the RMP Department at UNH?
- Why are you interested in this specific option of study (choose one: recreation administration, therapeutic recreation administration, or adaptive sports administration)?
- How does your professional and/or educational background make you suitable for a career in this specific option of study?
- What are your academic and research interests?
- What professional and/or academic accomplishments have you achieved to date that will contribute to your success?
- What are your future career goals – what do you plan to do after completing the RMP graduate program?
Statements must be included with your submitted application.
Resume
A current resume is required with your submitted application.
Important Notes
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program specific application questions.
International Applicants
Some academic departments recommend that international applicants, living outside of the United States, and planning on pursuing a research based degree, submit a preapplication form before submitting a full application. If your desired program is not on the form, departments prefer a full application be submitted. Preapplication requests will be carefully reviewed and a decision usually provided within 3 weeks. If your preapplication is approved then it is recommended you then submit a full application. If you are currently living in the United States (on a H1B visa, etc.), or you plan on pursuing a professional master’s degree, then you do not need to submit a preapplication.
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.