Recreation and Leisure Studies Program Overview:
Students enrolling in Division's RLS program receive an education designed to prepare them for employment in the areas of Community Recreation and Recreation Resource Management.
Students wishing to major in the Division's RLS program enter under conditional status as a Pre-Recreation and Leisure Studies (PRLS) major. The PRLS student is able to enroll in University Undergraduate Core curriculum courses, Pre-Recreation and Leisure Studies curriculum courses, and Recreation and Leisure Studies Support curriculum courses.
After completion of all PRLS curriculum courses and the completion of 30 additional credit hours from both the University Undergraduate Core curriculum and RLS Support curriculum courses, a student can apply for the RLS major. Minimum requirements for admittance into the RLS major include:
- Completion of 48 credit hours taken from
- the University Core curriculum
- RLS Support curriculum
- PRLS curriculum
Note: 18 of these 48 credit hours must come from the PRLS curriculum.- Completion of all courses in the Division’s Pre-Recreation and Leisure Studies (PRLS) curriculum, with a no less than a "C" grade in any course
- Completion of the Recreation and Leisure Studies Application
- Formal acceptance into the RLS program.
Once a student is formally accepted into the RLS program they are permitted to take professional sequence curriculum courses.
After completion of all required RLS course work students are eligible to apply for the RLS Senior Internship. The Senior Internship is the final RLS curriculum requirement and is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to apply educational achievements in a practitioner setting. Minimum requirements for approval to complete the 8 Hour Culminating Experience Include:
- Completion of all RLS RCRT courses with no less than a "C" grade in any course
- An accumulative GPA of no less than 2.5 for all course work completed
- Approval to complete the Senior Internship
In order to be eligible to graduate with an RLS major a student must demonstrate the following:
- Completion of a minimum of 124 credit hours,
- Completion of the entire RLS curriculum with no less than a "C" grade in any RCRT course,
- Completion of Culminating Experience courses including RCRT 4930 Senior Internship, RCRT 4770 Project Design and RCRT 4780 Project Evaluation with no less than a "C" grade in any course.
RLS Optional Program (See Undergraduate Plan of Study)
Many students are interested in a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies but need to develop a cohort of support courses in a unique area of study. It may be that the student plans to attend a graduate degree program in an area that has specific undergraduate prerequisites that are not included in the Division's Support Curriculum courses. Or, it may be that the student's personal interests can best be served by a custom designed support curriculum. Any student in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program may elect to develop on optional support curriculum, in lieu of the structured Support Curriculum courses. This Optional Program must be developed around a theme that relates to recreation and leisure and is designed in collaboration with a Division Academic Advisor. The Optional Program must be filed with the Division, the Department of Public Health and Rehabilitative Services, and the Student Services Office.