Recreation Administration MA

Total Units Required: 30

Admissions to the Master of Arts in Recreation Administration are currently suspended. Please contact the Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management Department or the Office of Graduate Studies to learn the current status of the program.

The MA in recreation administration prepares students to assume supervisory and managerial positions in the following general areas: community recreation and leisure services, private and commercial enterprises, parks and natural resources management, and recreation therapy services and recreation for diverse populations. The program also provides preparation for students who wish to pursue doctorates at other institutions and/or teaching positions in post-secondary settings.

California State University, Chico's MA program is a collaboration with San Francisco State University (RPT) and California State University, Sacramento (RPTA). This collaboration provides opportunities to network with other students across campuses. It also gives students access to three times as many faculty for teaching, research, and professional networking.

The core courses in this program are offered in a hybrid format, which includes in-person and online instruction. Each term begins and ends with an in-person seminar at one of the partner universities. During the semester, courses are offered online in the evenings, and these sessions are synchronous so that students and faculty can interact in real time.

The online experiences allow students to eliminate commutes, while the in-person seminars and individual faculty advising build strong relationships within the cohort of students and between the students and RHPM faculty.

Each student is assigned to a local faculty member to serve as academic advisor. The advisor guides students from selection of classes through their culminating graduate experience: an applied research project or thesis. Students, along with their advisors, choose coursework to complement their area of focus.