Baccalaureate Programs in Recreation, Park Resources, and Leisure Services - accredited programmes offered by teaching institutions

Parks & Recreation, Feb, 2001

The National Recreation and Park Association in cooperation with the American Association of Leisure and Recreation now accredits one hundred academic programs in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and the province of Ontario. Currently, three more institutions are seeking accreditation.

Accredited programs must demonstrate compliance with standards established by the NRPA/AALR Council on Accreditation. In addition to standards related to the institution, the faculty, student services, and instructional resources, each accredited program must be able to document specific professional competencies within the academic program.

All accredited programs must comply with eight broad categories of standards addressing the "professional program." In addition, individual programs may be accredited in one or more of four recognized options. These options include (1) Leisure Services Management, (2) Natural Resources Recreation Management, (3) Leisure/Recreation Program Delivery, and (4) Therapeutic Recreation. Each option requires compliance with specific standards relevant to that option.

With the growth in numbers of institutions seeking accreditation and the required five-year cycle for continued accreditation review, the Council on Accreditation is recruiting professionals to serve as members of the visiting teams. Visitation teams include both educators and professional practitioners. And representatives from all sectors of the recreation, park resources, and leisure services profession are needed. Information on qualifications and training to become a visitor may be requested from Jeanne Houghton at NRPA.

The most up-to-date list of accredited institutions is on the NRPA website at http://www.activeparks.org/education/. This site also has an overview of accreditation, a complete list of the current members of the Council on Accreditation, and a schedule of upcoming program reviews.

Accredited by the NRPA/AALR Council on Accreditation

This list is updated on an ongoing basis and is printed in Parks and Recreation magazine in February. Accreditation information is revised after the spring and fall Council meetings. For more information contact Jeanne Houghton, Accreditation Coordinator

Codes For Accredited Options:

A = Leisure Services Management

B = Natural Resources Recreation Management

C = Leisure/Recreation Program Delivery

D = Therapeutic Recreation