B.S. in Recreation

The Recreation degree, including all concentrations, are not currently accepting new applicants

About the Recreation Degree

The Bachelor's degree in Recreation is comprised of a core set of classes and courses split generally between concentration courses and major electives. Graduates completing one of these concentrations are eligible to apply for national and state certification. While the general recreation degree is the most flexible in terms of choosing related electives, students may instead elect to complete a more specialized course of study in one of our two approved concentrations within the B.S. Recreation Degree.

Information about the concentrations can be found on the links below.

• Recreation Management
• Recreation Therapy

Students pursuing the Recreation or Recreation Management degree find careers in:

• event planning, includes festivals and special events
• sustainable, cultural, and heritage tourism
• non-profit recreation agencies
• for-profit recreation such as theme parks and resorts
• nature based recreation
• federal, state, county, and city recreation agencies/parks
• university recreation, includes campus activity centers

 Students pursuing the Recreation Therapy degree find careers in:

• hospitals
• rehabilitation centers
• veterans services
• non-profit agencies
• assisted care facilities
• schools
• federal, state, county, and city recreation agencies

To get started, contact public-health-recreation@sjsu.edu or call the PHR department at 408-924-2971 for more information about getting started on your path to an exciting and fun career! It all starts by getting a degree in recreation.

Whether you are transferring from another SJSU program, another University, or you're just beginning your studies here at SJSU, we will guide and assist you in achieving your educational and professional goals.

The recreation degree program, founded in 1947, has a core accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Park, Recreation, and Tourism Related Professions (COAPRT). The degree has maintained continuous accreditation since its first awarding of this status occurred in April 1987. The recreation degree program adheres to COAPRT's standards for learning and academic acheivement [docx], and reports on academic performance annually. The recreation degree accrediting body is overseen and accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The Council for Higher Education is sensitive and seeks to educate consumers when seeking a degree.

Important information regarding degree mills: 

According to CHEA, "Degree mills and accreditation mills mislead and harm. In the United States, degrees and certificates from mills may not be acknowledged by other institutions when students seek to transfer or go to graduate school. Employers may not acknowledge degrees and certificates from degree mills when providing tuition assistance for continuing education. “Accreditation” from an accreditation mill can mislead students and the public about the quality of an institution. In the presence of degree mills and accreditation mills, students may spend a good deal of money and receive neither an education nor a useable credential." Read more on CHEA's website, www.chea.org/degree-accreditation-mills

You can access the Recreation program's annual COAPRT reports at the following links:

2023 COAPRT Annual Report [pdf]
2022 COAPRT Annual Report [pdf]
2021 COAPRT Annual Report [pdf]