The University of Toledo is the only institution in Ohio where you can earn a bachelor’s degree in recreation therapy.
The University of Toledo offers the only accredited recreation therapy program in Ohio. Our bachelor’s degree program — with its emphasis on hands-on education — has a proven record of success.
Our students are highly engaged in the classroom and on campus. They graduate job-ready, with more than 800 hours of real-world experience. Our job placement rate is well above 90%. Our passage rate on the national certification exam is well above the national average.
Recreation therapists design and implement treatment programs and recreation services to help people with illnesses or disabling conditions live healthier, more satisfying and independent lives. They assess and work with people who have mental, physical and emotional disabilities.
Recreation therapy majors in our bachelor’s degree program:
Recreation therapy is a four-year program. In your first two years, you complete prerequisites and introductory recreation therapy courses.
In your sophomore year, you apply for admittance into the two-year “professional sequence” of the program. Admission is competitive. In this portion of the program, you complete upper-level recreation therapy classes and gain professional clinical experience through internships.
All recreation therapy courses are online, everything from your introductory courses to your upper-level classes. This means that your final two years of course work will be entirely online. Clinical experiences are available all over the country for students who live outside of Toledo and choose to live at home their last two years.
University of Toledo undergraduates must complete one or more of the following tracks:
NOTE: You can earn a bachelor’s degree in recreation therapy entirely online, starting your freshman year. Or if you’ve already begun course work for a bachelor’s degree or have an associate’s degree in a related field, you also may be able to complete your degree in our recreation therapy program.
To discuss these options, contact 419.530.8888 or OnlineAdmissions@utoledo.edu.
Our recreation therapy program has a 98% job placement rate. Graduates find rewarding opportunities in the growing field of home healthcare and in:
Many UToledo students also go on to graduate school. They have been admitted to:
“After applying to UToledo, I couldn’t believe that I could combine all my interests for the outdoors, sports, music, cooking, journaling and reading into a career of helping others achieve their holistic well-being. From my freshmen year through my senior year, I was able to see connections between my courses each semester and grew increasingly confident in my skills. With clinical experiences in every population, I was able to transfer the skills I was gaining in class to work with people of all ages and ability levels. In my final internship, I designed and facilitated programming to combat the depression and anxiety my residents experienced during the pandemic.” Kortny Overhiser, CTRS , '20
"The University of Toledo Recreation Therapy program is an outstanding program to prepare you to become a recreation therapist. The professors’ passion for the field radiates in classes. When I was in my internship, I felt like I was ahead of most internship students because of the education I received." Logan Ross, CTRS, '18, '19
Recreation Therapy Bachelor’s Degree Sample Courses
