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Recreational Therapy

A program that prepares individuals to plan, organize, and direct recreational activities designed to promote health and well-being for patients who are physically, mentally, or emotionally disabled. Includes instruction in the foundations of therapeutic recreation, leisure education and counseling, program planning, therapeutic recreational modalities, basic anatomy and physiology, psychology, medical terminology, human growth and development, patient observation and evaluation, special needs populations, and professional standards and ethics.

Types of Degrees Recreational Therapy Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Recreational Therapy can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	48
Bachelor’s Degree	587
Master’s Degree	76

What Recreational Therapy Majors Need to Know

Studies in Recreational Therapy build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Recreational Therapy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Recreational Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Recreational Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Recreational Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Recreational Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Recreational Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Patient electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Avid Technology Sibelius	Music or sound editing software	—
Steinberg Cubase Pro	Music or sound editing software	—
MakeMusic Finale	Music or sound editing software	—
Speech recognition software	Voice recognition software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Recreational Therapy graduates include:

• Adventure Therapist
• Ecotherapist
• Rehabilitation Therapist
• Certified Recreational Therapist
• Lifestyle Director
• Recreation Therapist
• Recreational Therapy Program Coordinator
• Dance Therapist
• Therapeutic Riding Instructor
• Life Enrichment Coordinator (LEC)
• General Activities Therapist
• Recreational Therapy Technician
• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS)
• Activities Coordinator
• Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

What Can You Do With a Recreational Therapy Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Recreational Therapy commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Recreational Therapists	3.7%	$150,116	$116,374–$183,857
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Recreational Therapy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	65.9%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Doctoral degree	8.1%
Post-doctoral training	6.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Recreational Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.2% of Recreational Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	637	88.2%
Men	85	11.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Recreational Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	455	63.0%
Asian	16	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	90	12.5%
Black or African American	110	15.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	21	2.9%
Race Unknown	20	2.8%
International Students	7	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Recreational Therapy Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Recreational Therapy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,332
4 years	$70,102
5 years	$75,167

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,167 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Recreational Therapy Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Recreational Therapy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Recreational Therapy Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Recreational Therapy graduates earn a median of $70,102 four years after completion — roughly 84% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,424
Occupational Therapy/Therapist	10,460
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Rehabilitation Science	1,107
Art Therapy/Therapist	768
Music Therapy/Therapist	651
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Other	621
Orthotist/Prosthetist	408
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	121

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.