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Recreation therapy is a rewarding career providing meaningful and healthy leisure activities that improve the quality of life for people of all abilities and ages. Recreation therapists offer a range of services, including assessing client needs, developing programs, goal-setting, group facilitation and evaluation of interventions.
During this two-year program, students examine and apply the theoretical foundations of recreation therapy and the five domains of health (physical, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual) to support the development and delivery of person-centred recreation programs. Students also develop proficiency in various health disciplines such as health sciences, kinesiology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology, while exploring strategies and techniques to assess, develop, implement and evaluate recreation and educational programs.
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Graduates of the program develop and deliver recreation and leisure activities to people living with physical, mental, cognitive, emotional or social limitations. They are skilled in their assessment techniques and ability to provide person-centred therapeutic interventions that improve quality of life.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
More than 75% of this program is delivered in-person.
The rest of the coursework will be delivered using hybrid, flexible or online formats. Students will come to campus to complete in-person learning requirements.Detailed schedules, with course-specific delivery information, will be available after registration. Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
This program is strengthened by the integration of two mandatory field placements, one each in semesters three and four. Students access work environments and practitioner expertise to develop skills in the planning, implementation and evaluation of recreational and leisure activities and programs.
Please note: There are costs associated with Electronic Student Permit Checking (ESPC), immunizations, lab tests and certifications. Be sure to keep all of your receipts for income tax purposes. These costs include:
It is required that students have completed the ESPC with Verified to be eligible for all field placement components of this program. Prior to each placement you must (at your expense) provide:
Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.