Recreational Therapy

Types of Degrees Recreational Therapy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	706
Associate Degree	82
Master’s Degree	49
Basic Certificate	21
Graduate Certificate	8
Undergraduate Certificate	4

What Recreational Therapy Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy Majors

Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy Majors

A major in therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy Majors

As a therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Recreational Therapy Major?

People with a therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Music Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Recreational Therapists	6.8%	$47,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreational Therapy?

This major is dominated by women with about 90% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11
Black or African American	76
Hispanic or Latino	64
White	516
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	33

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy, too. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Recreational Therapy Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $50,640 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Recreational Therapy

Some degrees associated with therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.5%
Some College Courses	0.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	54.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.9%
Master’s Degree	26.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	4.9%
Doctoral Degree	4.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.1%

Online Recreational Therapy Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 62 schools offered some type of therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	10	1
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	10	1
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Recreational Therapy Worth It?

The median salary for a therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy grad is $50,640 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 27% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $214,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Recreational Therapy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,655
Occupational Therapy	9,958
Rehabilitation Science	1,161
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling	1,046
Art Therapy	858
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	837
Music Therapy	665
Orthotist/Prosthetist	335
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	117
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	110
Animal-Assisted Therapy	85
Play Therapy	56
Dance Therapy	52
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General	28
Drama Therapy	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.