Therapeutic Recreation

John Shank, Ed. D., CTRS, Chair
1700 N. Broad St.
Suite 313
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Main Office Phone: 215-204-2703
Fax: 215-204-1386
www.temple.edu/chp/departments/tr/

The Department of Therapeutic Recreation is composed of three degrees: a B.S. in therapeutic recreation, an Ed.M. in therapeutic recreation, and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Health Studies with a cognate concentration in TR.  Recreation therapists use recreation and leisure activities to facilitate recovery, health, and wellness in individuals with disabilities. The primary goal of the undergraduate program is to prepare entry-level recreation therapists to deliver rehabilitation, health promotion, and disease prevention programs to individuals with disabilities.  Alumni of Temple’s therapeutic recreation degree programs can be found in a wide range of health and human services agencies.  They are employed in diverse settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, schools, and community recreation agencies. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment opportunities are expected to continue growing in the residential and outpatient settings that serve disabled persons, the elderly, or those diagnosed with mental retardation, mental illness, or substance abuse problems, including community care facilities for the elderly (including assisted-living facilities), residential mental retardation, mental health, and substance abuse facilities; and facilities that provide individual and family services (such as day-care centers for the disabled persons and the elderly).

Mission of the Department

The Department of Therapeutic Recreation strives to be a world class academic and research unit committed to advancing the role of play, recreation, and leisure opportunities in health promotion, rehabilitation and disease prevention for diverse individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities across the life span.  The department provides exceptional educational experiences, conducts discipline-expanding research, and contributes to society via programs that explore and test evidenced-based innovations in practice and policy.  The department’s mission includes:

• Instilling knowledge, values, ethics and skills that will guide students in their future academic pursuits and their professional practice in therapeutic recreation at the local, national and international levels;
• Being a leading contributor to the ever-changing knowledge base in health, leisure, and disability studies through research and other scholarly activities; and,
• Providing innovative and responsive educational opportunities, research and service in collaboration with local, regional, and national agencies and organizations.
• Fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to promote a better understanding of the importance of physically and socially active lifestyles to health, well-being and quality of life.

Central to the overall mission of the Department of Therapeutic Recreation is a commitment to access and diversity.  This is realized through a commitment to ensuring equal access to all qualified applicants (students and faculty) and a commitment to promoting equal access to recreation and leisure opportunities for all people regardless of age, economics, race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, religion or abilities.

Certification

Following satisfactory completion of all coursework and internship requirements, graduates with the B.S. degree in Therapeutic Recreation are eligible to sit for the national certifying examination in therapeutic recreation administered by Educational Testing Services and the National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification.

Therapeutic Recreation - Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Therapeutic Recreation (TR) is awarded to students upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 121 semester hours of credit with a minimum GPA of 2.0 overall and 2.5 in the major. Students completing this degree are eligible to sit for the national credentialing examination for recreation therapists.

Summary of Requirements

1. University Requirements. All students are required to complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core. 

• New freshman students starting in the 2008-2009 academic year are required to complete the GenEd curriculum. New freshman students can find information about the GenEd curriculum at www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/general_education/index.shtm. 
• New transfer students starting in the 2008-2009 academic year are required to complete the Core curriculum. Core curriculum information can be found at www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/core/generalinfo/core_generalinfo.shtm.

2. Major Requirements. Students must complete a set of specific courses in the major, including two credit-earning field-based clinical internships (TR 3185 and TR 4185). Students may choose from a list of approved external related electives, which are courses related to the major but offered outside the department. Students must also complete other non-credit earning requirements as part of the major, including 120 hours of professional/volunteer experiences relevant to the major, certification in First-Aid/CPR, and a Library Skills competency test (also called Temple Information Literacy Tutorial or TILT).

Students must successfully pass all Health Related Professions courses (HRP 1101/TR 0813, HRP 2103) and Cognate Core courses (KNSLOGY 1223, PSYCH 1061, PSYCH/SOC 1167, PSYCH 2301/EDUC 1322, and PSYCH 2201) with a minimum grade of C or higher.  Students not demonstrating the ability to meet this academic requirement will not be permitted to progress to the Upper Division TR Core and related electives in the curriculum until the minimum C is achieved.  In addition, all TR courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher.  In accordance with college policy, students may only repeat a course once to achieve the minimum C.

All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are listed below and are identified by "WI" in the RCI column.

The following grids display required courses. Please note that, unless specified otherwise, students may select from a number of university-approved courses in the various areas of the Core and GenEd curriculums.

University GenEd Curriculum for Newly Admitted Freshman in Fall 2008 and After

**121 credits minimum required for Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation**

*** Related Electives: At least one related elective course selected must qualify as supportive coursework in the area of human services for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.  See advisor for additional clarification.

University Core Curriculum for New Transfer Students in Fall 2008

An asterisk (*) after the Core Indicator indicates the Writing Capstone.

(Note:  Students may lighten their academic load in the fall and spring semesters by taking classes during the summer sessions.  Please see your advisor to explore summer course offerings and suitable options.)

Related/General Electives: At least one related/general elective course selected must qualify as supportive coursework in the area of human services for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.  See advisor for additional clarification.

Core-to-Core Transfer Curriculum

The following course sequencing for Fall and Spring transfers is based on meeting Temple University's Core-to-Core Transfer requirements for students with an approved associate degree from a community college with an approved Core-to-Core agreement.  (See Core Transfer programs at www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/core/transfer_programs/core_transfer_programs.shtm). If your transfer courses do not include coursework in anatomy and physiology, human growth and development, and abnormal psychology, you will be required to take these courses as part of your B.S. degree. In some instances, the general elective requirements identified may be used to meet this requirement. Students should check with their academic advisor and faculty mentor regularly to make certain they are meeting all requirements to be eligible for graduation. 

FALL TRANSFER

SPRING TRANSFER

Related Elective: At least one related elective course selected must qualify as supportive coursework in the area of human services for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.  See advisor for additional clarification.