Recreation, Parks and Tourism
Mission: To support the evolving field of recreation, parks, and tourism by assisting future professionals in developing technical competence with professional characteristics, and dispositions.
Vision: We strive to be the preeminent center for outdoor recreation and leadership, tourism and special events, and recreation therapy education in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Values: C.A.R.I.E.: Collaboration: We succeed together, Accountability: We do the right thing, Respect: We value diversity and inclusion, Innovation: We cultivate growth, Excellence: We strive to make a difference.
RU Recreation Parks and Tourism’s Recreation Major Recreation Therapy Students Achieve 90.4% Pass Rate on National Certification Exam!
Graduates of the Recreation Therapy Concentration of the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Major meet eligibility requirements to sit for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) credentialling examination. The hard work of our incredibly engaged instructors and students has paid off with the 2019-2021 three-year average passing rate reaching 90.5%. This is a full 11% ABOVE the national average of 79.5%! Our graduates are very desired candidates for jobs in psychiatric hospitals, community-based recreation therapy, long-term care with elders, and even adventure therapy programs. Some of our graduates even go on to win National Awards for the high impact programs that they create in their home communities. Way to go HIGHLANDERS!
2019-2021 NCTRC School Report [PDF]
Accreditation
Our undergraduate program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions. The recreation therapy concentration meets eligibility requirements to take the national certification examination. COAPRT is accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.
Important Information Regarding Degree Mills and the Value of Accreditation
Please watch this important video regarding degree and accreditation mills. According to CHEA, "Degree mills and accreditation mills mislead and harm. In the United States, degrees and certificates from mills may not be acknowledged by other institutions when students seek to transfer or go to graduate school. Employers may not acknowledge degrees and certificates from degree mills when providing tuition assistance for continuing education. “Accreditation” from an accreditation mill can mislead students and the public about the quality of an institution. In the presence of degree mills and accreditation mills, students may spend a good deal of money and receive neither an education nor a useable credential." Read more on CHEA's website.
CHEA defines accreditation as "the primary means of assuring and improving the quality of higher education institutions and programs in the United States. Active for the past 100 years, this private, voluntary system of self-examination and peer review has been central to the creation of a U.S. higher education enterprise that is outstanding in many respects." Read more about the Value of Accreditation.