Undergraduate Programs

The University of Toledo offers the only Recreational 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. 

Recreational Therapy majors in our bachelor’s degree program:

• Explore the therapeutic value of recreation and leisure interventions to assist individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions to enhance the quality of their lives.
• Learn a variety of therapeutic techniques and modalities (such as therapeutic arts, assistive technology, fitness, and horticulture) to help individuals gain functional skills, rehabilitate, and move toward independence.
• Through fieldwork experiences students learn to work with individuals across the lifespan and with a variety of conditions and disabilities to build their clinical skills in assessment, treatment planning, implementation, and documentation.
• Graduates are prepared to work in areas of physical rehabilitation, geriatric services, psychiatric and substance use recovery, pediatric services, camps for individuals with disabilities, Veterans hospitals, community treatment programs, and private practice settings.

Recreational 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 Recreational Therapy courses are online, everything from your introductory courses to your upper-level classes. 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.

NOTE: You can earn a bachelor’s degree in Recreational 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.

Top Reasons to Study recreational therapy at UToledo

1. Unique undergrad experiences.

   Not many schools require recreation therapy majors to work in the field. Our students complete 760 hours of professional experience — including four 50-hour fieldwork rotations with various populations — at premier healthcare or community facilities around the country.
2. Job placement rate as high as 98%.

   Our graduates are job-ready.
3. Above-average pass rate for certification exam.

   UToledo students are well-prepared for the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists exam. Some agencies and facilities require this certification for employment. 
4. Flexible, online curriculum in your final two years.

   Take classes when it’s convenient. Learn from the same world-class faculty members who teach on campus. We are there for you, offering support via live chat, email or phone.
5. Opportunities to connect with faculty and classmates.

   • Optional informational weekend on campus in the fall
   • Virtual orientation
   • Meet Up social events
6. Professional development.

   We want you to learn outside of the classroom, too. Our students attend panel discussions with practicing recreation therapists; attend conferences with faculty; and network with potential internship employers.
7. Occupational Therapy Graduate School Early Admission.

   Earn your B.S. in Recreational Therapy and meet the requirements for admission into UToledo’s Occupational Therapy doctorate (O.T.D.) program.  Recreational Therapy majors can apply for early admission to the O.T.D. program during their junior years.

What jobs can I get with a recreational therapy degree?

Our Recreation Therapy program has a 98% job placement rate.

Graduates find rewarding opportunities in the growing field of home healthcare and in:

• Centers for developmental disabilities 
• Community recreation/camps for individuals with disabilities
• Geriatric services
• Pediatric services
• Physical rehabilitation
• Psychiatric rehabilitation

Many UToledo students also go on to graduate school. They have been admitted to:

• Chicago State University
• Clemson University
• Cleveland State University
• George Washington University
• Indiana University
• The Ohio State University 
• The University of Toledo
• University of Maryland School of Medicine
• University of North Carolina
• University of Wisconsin

Hands-On Learning Opportunities

At UToledo, we take you beyond the textbooks and the four walls of a classroom. These real-world experiences are what help our graduates gain professional skills and land jobs.

Tuition and Scholarships

Most new students don't pay full price. 94% of new UToledo students receive scholarships or other state and federal aid.

Keep in mind: Your cost will vary by college, program and a host of other options. This is the average amount full-time students pay per year.

I’m a first-time freshman I’m a transfer I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute. I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus. I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., have a 3.5 or higher GPA and will live on campus. I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., have below a 3.5 GPA and will live on campus. I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute. I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus. I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus. I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute.

I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute.

I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus.

I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., have a 3.5 or higher GPA and will live on campus.

I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., have below a 3.5 GPA and will live on campus.

I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute.

I live in Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus.

I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will live on campus.

I live outside Ohio or Monroe County, Mich., and will commute.

Tuition and Fees

Room and Meal Plan

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per year

How to pay for collegeInternational Student - How to Pay for College

Choose Ohio First scholarship

Ohio residents who have been accepted into this STEM program are eligible for the Choose Ohio First scholarship — a four-year, renewable scholarship.

Choose Ohio First Scholarship

Honors College

The Jesup Scott Honors College at The University of Toledo offer our best and brightest the resources and opportunities needed to unlock your fullest potential. Whether you aspire following graduation to cure disease, innovate technology, advance statecraft, redefine markets, or express creatively, together we can fuel vibrant and promising tomorrows.

Honors students come from a variety of countries, backgrounds and cultures. While we may bond over a tough class, our differences make us blossom.

Benefits of Honors

The Honors College is a community of academically gifted students from all majors on campus. Students take unique Honors classes taught by dedicated Honors faculty and complete an Honors thesis or capstone project in their major, earning the Honors medallion at graduation within their normal program of study. Honors students are challenged to think more deeply and broadly about what they learn. With special academic, cultural, and professional development opportunities, their education extends beyond the classroom.

Honors students can also choose exclusive housing in the Honors Academic Village or the historic McKinnon, Scott and Tucker Halls.

Explore more about what the Honors College can offer you as a budding professional, inquisitive scholar, and engaged person.