Leisure Studies
Leisure studies can lead to a career in a wide range of professions, including specialists who help children and their families cope with illness and life-changing events, people who manage community recreation programs and athletic teams, and recreational therapists who help people improve their quality of life through recreational activities.
Why Study at Iowa?
Students specialize in one of three areas through Iowa's leisure studies degree program, each leading to a career that involves helping people and meeting challenges across the spectrum of leisure activities:
- 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. The leisure studies program's partnership with University of Iowa Children's Hospital facilitates practicum and internship opportunities for Iowa students in the child life 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. Students in this track pursue careers with professional and amateur sport teams, community programs, sports marketing, and commercial fitness programs.
- 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. Students who complete this track are qualified to sit for the exam required for national certification.
Course Work
The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree program in leisure studies is offered through the Department of Health and Human Physiology. Course work varies depending on the track you choose.
- Students in the child life track will take several foundation courses in addition to courses in therapeutic recreation, leadership, and programming. The program also requires an internship and course work in supporting disciplines, including education, psychology, social work, and sociology.
- Students in the therapeutic recreation track complete foundational courses in therapeutic recreation (such as evaluation, administration, programming, rehabilitation, and leisure), several courses in supporting disciplines (such as anatomy, human development and behavior, psychology, and human services), and complete a preinternship seminar and internship.
- Students in the recreation and sport business track will take core courses on leisure and society, psychology, sociology and statistics. They'll also take foundation courses in recreation and sport administration, business practices, facilities design and management, liability, and promotion. An internship is optional.
Review Leisure Studies in the UI General Catalog for more information about course requirements and graduating with honors.
Minor in Leisure Studies
Review Leisure Studies in the UI General Catalog for more details.
Admission Requirements
Students interested in the recreation and sport business track need to meet the requirements for admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Admission to either the child life or therapeutic recreation track requires satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours of prerequisite college course work (12 for transfer students); refer to the Leisure Studies Program website for specific information about the courses and grade-point averages required for admission to either track.
Admission Requirements Tabs
Student Opportunities
In addition to having nearly 500 Student Organizations, Iowa students choose from multiple Living-Learning Communities, Study Abroad Programs, and Undergraduate Research Opportunities.
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 website for links to other resources.
Faculty, Facilities, and Resources
Many resources on campus relate to the leisure studies major, including the Division of Recreational Services, Student Health Service, and the Aging Studies Program. Visit the Leisure Studies Program website for links to other resources.
Careers
Iowa graduates have job placement rates ranging from 86-100 percent, depending on their area of study, and our Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs.
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
The Office of Admissions and the Office of Student Financial Aid are great resources for students seeking scholarships.
Application Process
Apply to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a leisure studies major.
