Recreation, Tourism and Therapeutic Recreation

122 Memorial Hall
507.457.5200
RTTR website
Dr. Begum Aybar Damali, Chairperson

Faculty

Begum Aybar-Damali, Associate Professor; BS, Middle East Technical University (Turkey); MS, PhD, Clemson University; 2009 -
Phileshia Dombroski, Assistant Professor; BS, Lock Heaven University; MS, Slippery Rock University; PhD, Pen State University; 2021 -
Hyunseo (Violet) Yoon, Assistant Professor; BSc, Chung Buk National University (S. Korea); MSc, University of Surrey (UK); PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; 2023 -

Purpose

The Department of Recreation, Tourism and Therapeutic Recreation exists within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Through traditional and experiential methods, faculty prepare majors to become recreation, tourism, and therapeutic recreation (RTTR) professionals. The RTTR major leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. The department offers numerous RTTR courses which fulfill WSU’s two-semester hour requirement for Physical Development and Wellness. In addition to the RT and TR tracks, the department offers an Adventure Tourism minor (ADVT).

Career Opportunities

Recreation and Tourism (RT)

Graduates in the recreation and tourism major are qualified to obtain entry-level positions in the following settings:

Non-profit or voluntary agencies (e.g., YMCA-YWCA, Scouts)
Private settings that require memberships (e.g., golf or tennis clubs)
Military recreation
Commercial or “for-profit” agencies (e.g., theme parks, fitness centers)
Public, corporate, campus, or correctional recreation
Adventure-based outdoor programs and adventure travel/outfitting companies
Federal programs (e.g., U.S. Forest Service, National Parks Service, Bureau of Land Management)

Therapeutic Recreation (TR)

Graduates in the therapeutic recreation major are qualified to obtain entry-level positions in the following settings:

Special rehabilitation centers for persons with physical disabilities
Mental health facilities that treat a variety of psychological impairments
Nursing homes and retirement centers
Residential centers that care for persons with developmental disabilities
Some TR specialists also find employment in schools, half-way houses, or community recreation programs

Department Programs

BS Major: Recreation, Tourism, and Therapeutic Recreation. Students in this major may elect RTTR - Track A: Recreation and Tourism (RT) - BS Major or RTTR - Track B: Therapeutic Recreation (TR) - BS Major . While a minor is not required for the RTTR programs, many students elect to complete both tracks and/or add an additional minor such as adventure tourism.
BS Minor: RTTR - Adventure Tourism (ADVT) - Minor . This is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the RTTR Department.

Pass/No Credit (P/NC) Courses

Except for internships, students majoring or minoring in RTTR programs must take all courses in the major, minor, and options on a grade-only basis. Courses offered for pass/no credit-only or grade-only are so designated in the course descriptions. If no grading method is listed for a particular course in the course descriptions, the course may be taken for either grade or pass/no credit.

General Education Intensive Requirements

Students may use intensive courses to satisfy both General Education Program (GEP) and major requirements. Intensive courses will usually be in the student’s major or minor program. The following are offered as GEP intensive courses in the RTTR Department:

Intensives

Oral (◎)

◎ RTTR 414 - Recreational Leadership (3 credits)

Math/Critical Analysis (◆)

◆ RTTR 393 - Research Methods in Recreation, Tourism, and Therapeutic Recreation (3 credits)

Writing (△)

Intensive courses that can be used to satisfy major/minor requirements are identified in the lists of required courses and electives.

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Minor

RTTR - Adventure Tourism (ADVT) - Minor