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Recreational Therapy

Types of Degrees Recreational Therapy Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Recreational Therapy can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	48
Bachelor’s Degree	587
Master’s Degree	76

What Recreational Therapy Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Recreational Therapy develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Recreational Therapy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Recreational Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Recreational Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Recreational Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Recreational Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Recreational Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Steinberg Cubase Pro	Music or sound editing software	—
Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software	Music or sound editing software	—
Patient electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Speech recognition software	Voice recognition software	—
Avid Technology Sibelius	Music or sound editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Recreational Therapy graduates include:

• Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
• Therapist
• Therapeutic Mentor
• Recreation Therapist
• Recreational Therapy Program Coordinator
• General Activities Therapist
• Recreational Therapy Technician
• Lifestyle Director
• Dance Therapist
• Music Rehabilitation Therapist
• Rehabilitation Therapist
• Activities Therapist
• Activities Coordinator
• Certified Recreational Therapist
• Therapeutic Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Recreational Therapy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	65.9%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Doctoral degree	8.1%
Post-doctoral training	6.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Recreational Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.2% of Recreational Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	637	88.2%
Men	85	11.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Recreational Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	455	63.0%
Asian	16	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	90	12.5%
Black or African American	110	15.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	21	2.9%
Race Unknown	20	2.8%
International Students	7	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Recreational Therapy Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Recreational Therapy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,332
4 years	$70,102
5 years	$75,167

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,167 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Recreational Therapy Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Recreational Therapy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Recreational Therapy Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Recreational Therapy graduates earn a median of $70,102 four years after completion — roughly 84% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	51.23
Animal-Assisted Therapy	51.2313
Art Therapy/Therapist	51.2301
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	51.2312
Dance Therapy/Therapist	51.2302
Drama Therapy/Therapist	51.2315
Horticulture Therapy/Therapist	51.2316
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	51.2311
Music Therapy/Therapist	51.2305
Occupational Therapy/Therapist	51.2306
Orthotist/Prosthetist	51.2307
Physical Therapy/Therapist	51.2308

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.