Therapeutic Recreation Dalhousie University

Overview

Learn how recreation and leisure experiences can be used to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, illnesses and other limitations. Therapeutic Recreation specialists are allied health professionals who design and implement purposeful and meaningful recreation and leisure programmes and interventions for holistic health and wellbeing.

Dalhousie University 's Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation programme prepares competent recreation therapists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behaviour) learning domains to work in a variety of settings as Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS).  Class sizes are small, providing you with the opportunity to work closely with fellow students and faculty members.

In your first year, you’ll take introductory leisure studies courses and courses in other areas such as sociology, psychology, anatomy, and physiology.  In your upper years, you will take specific courses within Therapeutic Recreation, required courses in health as well as elective courses, where you can choose courses to fit your interests.

Programme options

In the final year of the programme, a 16-week internship under the supervision of a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist takes you out of the classroom and provides you with hands-on work experience that enhances your studies. 100% of our students achieve expectations on their final internship performance appraisals.

If you’re interested in research, the honours option will provide you with a valuable opportunity to gain research experience with mentorship from a Therapeutic Recreation faculty member.

The following Therapeutic Recreation programme options are offered by Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Health. Connect with an academic advisor after you start your studies to explore options such as:

• Bachelor of Science, Recreation (Therapeutic Recreation)

• Bachelor of Science, Recreation (Therapeutic Recreation) with Honours

After completing the programme, you’ll be well prepared to write the NCTRC exam and begin a rewarding career in the field.

Careers

Dalhousie students regularly achieve higher than the national average of pass rates on the NCTRC exam.  Therapeutic Recreation is a rapidly growing field and new career opportunities are constantly being created. 

Some settings where graduates may find employment include:

• Mental health and addictions

• Rehabilitation

• Municipal recreation and community centres

• Long-term care

• Outdoor recreation

Future studies could include programmes at the graduate level in recreation and leisure studies or other health professions.

Accreditation

The programme is the first to be accredited in Canada by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and graduates are prepared to write the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation exam to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).