Major
	Leisure Studies (BS) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minor
	Leisure Studies
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes, for the Recreation and Sport Business Track without optional internship
Honors
	Yes
Selective Admission
	Yes, for the Child Life and Therapeutic Recreation Tracks
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

Leisure enriches individuals’ lives and satisfies important needs of society. The study of leisure applies to how we use our free time; how child life professionals help children thrive and how they work with families weathering challenging life events; how professionals guide sports organizations and businesses as well as recreation programs; and how therapists use recreation to help people improve and maintain their quality of life.

• Why Choose Leisure Studies at Iowa?
• Selective Admission
• Course Work
• Resources
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Choose Leisure Studies at Iowa?
The Leisure Studies Program offers concentrated undergraduate study in three different areas: child life, recreation and sport business, and therapeutic recreation. Each area leads to careers that involve helping people and meeting challenges across the spectrum of leisure activities.

Child life students benefit from the program’s partnership with University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, which facilitates practicum experiences and some internships. Therapeutic recreation students are qualified to sit for the national certification examination once they graduate. Recreation and sport business students have access to a broad range of emphases and course work.

No matter which track you choose, you’ll graduate from a program that produces professionals well prepared to work in a wide range of settings.

The Leisure Studies Program also offers graduate degrees, so you’ll have a chance to see what advanced work in leisure studies is like.

If you're a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences student in another major, you'll be able to use specific leisure studies courses to satisfy General Education Program requirements.

Selective Admission
The leisure studies major offers three tracks: child life, recreation and sport business, and therapeutic recreation. You may enter the recreation and sport business track without applying, but if you choose the child life or therapeutic recreation track, you'll need to apply.

As an entering first-year student who wants to enter the child life or therapeutic recreation track, you'll declare a leisure studies interest as your major for advising assignments and course selection.

To be admitted to either track, you must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours (s.h.)—or 12 s.h. for transfer students—at The University of Iowa, including the courses that are prerequisites for admission to your chosen track.

For admission to the therapeutic recreation track, you also must have a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.50 for all of your University of Iowa course work and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50. If your GPA is lower, you may apply for conditional admission. Prerequisites for admission to the therapeutic recreation track include specific courses in anatomy; mathematics, statistics, and/or calculus; psychology; and sociology.

For admission to the child life track, you also must have a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 for all of your University of Iowa course work and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. If your GPA is lower, you may apply for conditional admission. Admission prerequisites for the child life track include specific courses in anatomy, human development, leisure studies, psychology, and sociology.

Course Work
Students majoring in leisure studies earn a Bachelor of Science degree. The BA requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including credit for the major, which will depend on which track you choose: the child life track requires 60–61 s.h., the recreation and sport business track requires 45–46 s.h., and the therapeutic recreation track requires 67–69 s.h.

Each track includes a foundation in leisure studies and courses in supporting disciplines. A variety of organizations provide opportunities for internships, which are required for the child life and therapeutic recreation tracks but optional for the recreation and sport business track.

Child Life Track

Child life specialists help children and families adjust to the stress of serious illness and other challenging life events. They also are dedicated to improving children’s well-being and growth. Play and leisure activities are important tools they use for improving physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functions. If you choose the child life track, you’ll complete the following work.

• Seven foundation courses on child life, therapeutic recreation, leadership and programming, methods and materials, and clientele
  
• Four or five courses in supporting disciplines—education, psychology, social work, and sociology
• An internship
  

Recreation and Sport Business Track

Recreation and sport business professionals provide leadership in sport and recreation. They are skilled at planning, budgeting, organization, and promotion in a variety of sport and recreational settings. If you choose the recreation and sport business track, you'll complete the following work.

• Four core courses on leisure and society, psychology, sociology, and statistics
• Six foundation courses in recreation and sport administration, business practices, facilities design and management, liability, and promotion
• Five or more courses in one of these concentrations: business studies, coaching and sport instruction, entrepreneurship, fitness management, sport and diversity, or a self-defined emphasis
• An internship (optional)

Therapeutic Recreation Track

Therapeutic recreation is a health-oriented field that involves using recreation services to improve or maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being as well as positive social function in people with disabilities or special needs. If you choose the therapeutic recreation track, you’ll complete the following work.

• Eight foundation courses on therapeutic recreation—evaluation, issues, and clientele; recreation administration, leadership, and programming; rehabilitation; and leisure
  
• Six or seven courses in supporting disciplines—anatomy, human development and behavior, psychology, and human services (aging studies, social work, sociology, counselor and special education)
  
• An internship and a preinternship seminar

For More Details

See Leisure Studies in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in leisure studies.

Resources
You’ll find many resources on campus that relate to your leisure studies major, such as the Division of Recreational Services, Student Health Service, and the Aging Studies Program. Visit the Leisure Studies Program web site for links to other resources.

Careers
Graduates of the Leisure Studies Program find jobs in a variety of settings. The majority of children’s hospitals and pediatric units in other health care facilities employ child life specialists to address cognitive, social, and psychological issues associated with child illness and hospitalization. Child life specialists also work in rehabilitation centers, private practice and consulting, special purpose camps, school systems, and hospice.

Recreation and sport business specialists work with professional and amateur sport teams, college and high school athletic programs, national and international sport organizations, firms specializing in sport marketing and sport sponsorship, and commercial fitness businesses. Those interested in recreation management take jobs as activity directors, community or campus recreation professionals, and program coordinators in park and recreation departments.

Therapeutic recreation professionals are employed in settings such as skilled nursing facilities, community recreation centers, state and community mental health institutions, general medical hospitals, physical rehabilitation centers, special recreation districts, correctional facilities, senior centers, facilities for the mentally delayed or emotionally disturbed, and substance-abuse programs.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.