Graduate Certificate Recreational Therapy
The Graduate Certificate in Recreational Therapy (RT) is designed to meet the needs of the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR) by preparing future Recreational Therapists (RT) to meet the qualifications of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) exam. Therapeutic Recreation is a helping profession providing recreation services to people from all backgrounds and abilities to improve their quality of life. Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS®) are the qualified providers and are also referred to as Recreational Therapists. Practitioners are found in communities working in not-for-profit, for-profit, and public agencies. This includes but is not limited to, schools, primary, acute, and tertiary hospitals, behavioral health facilities, juvenile halls and prisons, outdoor and adventure programs, independent and assisted living facilities, and long-term and skilled nursing centers.
The content of the program aligns with the ten job analysis task domains found on the NCTRC exam which include professional relationships and responsibilities, assessment, plan interventions and/or programs, implementation of interventions and/or programs, evaluation outcomes of the interventions and/or programs, document intervention services, treatment teams and/or service providers, develop and maintain programs, manage RT services, and awareness and advocacy. These ten categories are career-ready skills and knowledge areas common in RT higher education curricula across the United States and Canada.
In 2018, the Academic Action Task Force of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) determined to maintain a bachelor's entry to the field rather than shift to a master's level entry like other Allied Health industries. With this decision, people can continue to apply for the NCTRC exam based on two eligibility pathways: Academic and Professional. This graduate certificate would help individuals who are seeking either A) the academic pathway requirements to be eligible for the NCTRC exam, or B) the professional pathway requirements to be eligible for the NCTRC exam. Both entry pathways to credentialing require the same six-course RT curriculum. The only difference is that the academic pathway requires internship experience, and the professional pathway requires experience hours.
Campus Information
Flagstaff
Intakes
- Jan
- May
- Aug
Application Processing Time in Days: 30
Minimum English Language Requirements
| English Level Description | IELTS (1.0 -9.0) | TOEFL IBT (0-120) | TOEFL CBT (0-300) | PTE (10-90) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert | 9 | 120 | 297-300 | 86-90 | |
| Very Good | 8.5 | 115-119 | 280-293 | 83-86 | |
| Very Good | 8 | 110-114 | 270-280 | 79-83 | |
| Good | 7.5 | 102-109 | 253-267 | 73-79 | |
| Good | 7 | 94-101 | 240-253 | 65-73 | |
| Competent | 6.5 | 79-93 | 213-233 | 58-65 | |
| Competent | 6 | 60-78 | 170-210 | 50-58 | |
| Modest | 5.5 | 46-59 | 133-210 | 43-50 | |
| Modest | 5 | 35-45 | 107-133 | 36-43 | |
| Limited | 4 | 32-34 | 97-103 | 30-36 | |
| Extremely Limited | < 4 | < 31 | < 93 | < 30 |
Job Opportunity Potential
Career exploration
- Know what transferable skills are, provide examples of transferable skills, and identify strategies to build these skills.
- Feel confident that you are able to identify your strengths, interests, and values, and begin to connect these to potential careers.
- Feel confident in utilizing career and personality assessments to assess fit with careers and work environments.
Resume and cover letter reviewsAccordion Open
- Identify and apply principles of high-quality resume design and formatting to your own resume.
- Feel confident crafting bullet points (accomplishment statements) using strong verbs, quantifiable actions, and results.
- Feel empowered to begin crafting a compelling Summary of Qualifications targeted towards desired jobs that reflect your skills, experience, and what makes you unique.
Internship exploration and resourcesAccordion Open
Identify strengths, interests, and values, and begin to connect these to potential internships.
- Feel confident identifying reputable online internship search sites and using them to find internships.
- Identify the application materials you need to apply for internships.
Job search strategiesAccordion Open
- Feel confident about finding and using resources to match your strengths, interests, and values to various jobs.
- Identify and locate reputable online job search sites.
- Learn to use online tools, such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn, to investigate organizational culture.
Mock interviewsAccordion Open
- Use the STAR Method to identify your responses to behavioral interview questions and practice these responses.
- Identify nervous habits and replace them with professional, confident body language.
- Recognize appropriate and professional interview attire.
PSW Opportunity
Post-Study Work visa or permit, allowing international students on F-1 visas to work in the US after completing their studies, typically through Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Eligibility:
To be eligible for OPT, students must have been enrolled full-time in a US educational institution for at least one academic year and be seeking work related to their major.
Duration:
Students can apply for up to 12 months of OPT, either before they finish their studies (pre-completion) or after graduation (post-completion).
STEM OPT:
Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields can apply for an extended OPT period of up to 24 months.
Contact our PSA counselor for more information
Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria
- TOEFL iBT 80
- DuoLingo 105
- IELTS 6.5
- Course Type: Full Time
- Course Level: Post Graduate Diploma or Certificate
- Duration: 06 Month
-
Total Tuition Fee:
16767 USD
Average Cost of Living: 14000 USD /year
Application Fee: 40 USD